Sacrificial Love
by lenetra
Summary: Damon finds another way to free Katherine and he still needs Bonnie's help to do it. So of course he concocts a scheme to get Bonnie to trust him, but in the end will he be able to choose Katherine over his "little witch." Don't own TVD, just wish I did.
1. Chapter 1

Sacrificial Love

"Let us out! Help us!" Bonnie Bennett woke up panting. She had been dreaming about that those vampires trapped in the tomb again. It had been 2 weeks since she had followed her Grams's advice and returned to the cursed, rotting grounds of old Fell's Church. 2 weeks since she had fallen through the decaying land, down to the entrance of the tomb and heard the agonizing cries of the vampires who had been trapped inside. 2 weeks since Stephen had shown up and rescued her. 2 weeks since she had a restful night's sleep. Well she couldn't blame her not sleeping on the incident 2 weeks ago. In truth she hadn't had a decent night's rest since Caroline had given her that necklace that had led to her first encounter with her ancestor, Emily. That stupid necklace had shattered Bonnie's safe, cocoon of life that she had built around herself. Now, partly because of that necklace, she knew without a shadow of doubt she was a witch, and thanks to Emily possessing her body that first night at Fell's Church, she knew that vampires really did exist (she still had fading marks on neck to prove it). That night had led to Bonnie temporarily losing her powers due to her fear, thus leading her to go back to the scene of the crime to overcome that fear and regain her powers. Bonnie buried herself under her covers, thinking "Why me?" After about 20 minutes of failing to go back to sleep, Bonnie sat up in bed and looked at numbers of the clock saying 4:48am. "Great, I may as well get started on that research paper," she said to herself as she got out of bed. Feeling a tad claustrophobic, she went to open her window, and noticed a crow sitting on the branch, looking directly into her bedroom. Bonnie propped her arms on the window ledge and spoke to the bird, "So you can't sleep either? I know the feeling. What's your reason? Can't find enough worms or bread crumbs? Some other crow flew off with your lady bird? My reasons, you ask? Well, birdie, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Just then a cold wind blew, chilling Bonnie, forcing her to close the window. She went over to start up her computer, unaware that the crow was still staring at her.

The next morning Bonnie pulled into the school parking lot of Mystic Falls High School, with sunglasses and a venti caramel macchiato. She was not in a mood for school today, but neither was she in the mood to stay home with her father, who was working from home today. So she chose the lesser of the two evils: a day of high school and thanked God it was her senior year. As she got out of her cherry red Mustang convertible (a gift from her father to bribe her into forgiving him for going out of town and forgetting her birthday last year), she saw one of her two best friends, Elena Gilbert, pull up in her SUV. Knowing she would want to walk to class together, Bonnie waited for Elena on the sidewalk. Elena walks over to Bonnie, immediately recognizing Bonnie has had another bad night. "Hey, did you sleep at all last night?" Elena says as they begin to walk toward the doors of the school.

"A few hours, I woke up a little before 5am, and couldn't go back to sleep. But on a good note, I started my history paper," Bonnie answered with a small smile.

Elena looked at Bonnie shaking her head, "This is no time to joke. I'm worried about you. You have to get some sleep. This is all Damon's fault; if he hadn't attacked you none of this would be happening. I swear one of these days I'm going to…….."

"Do what Elena? Kill him? I think he can take you. Seriously though, as much as I would love to, I can't lay this round of nightmares at Damon's door. It was my fault for going to that church alone. I'm just glad that Stephen found me before those screams drove me crazy," Bonnie said, as she and Elena stopped at their lockers. "It's funny, after all these years of thinking my Grams was weird, even crazy, for saying we were witches, I couldn't stand to be without my powers. I went to that church to get back my powers, and I was willing to do anything for them. I felt so incomplete without them, like I wasn't Bonnie anymore."

Elena puts an arm around Bonnie, "That's because your powers are a big part of you now. Just promise me you won't do anything as stupid as going to the church alone again. I couldn't bear if anything happened to you. Now c'mon before we're late for English."

As they begin walking down the hall, Elena's boyfriend and vampire, Stefan Salvatore caught up to them. "How are my favorite girls today?" he asked, kissing Elena's cheek.

"Morning, Stephen," Bonnie answered, taking off her sunglasses as they entered the classroom. Stefan noticed the dark circles under her eyes (even though she had tried to hide them with makeup), as well the fact that she looked like she could pass out at any moment. As they took their seats, Stefan decided to test out a little trick, to see just how strong Bonnie was.

"Bonnie," Stefan, said in his mind, projecting his thoughts to her.

Bonnie jumped, hearing Stefan in her head. She looked over to Stefan, who had raised a questioning eyebrow to her.

"WTF," Bonnie thought. "Did I just hear Stefan call me in my mind?"

"Bonnie, can you hear me? Concentrate on me and send me an answer with your mind." Stefan projected again.

"Y-y-yes, I can hear you. What's going on, why can I hear you in my mind?" were the thoughts Bonnie sent to Stefan, following his instructions.

"It appears your psychic powers also enable you to communicate telepathically," Stefan answered, still projecting his thought to her.

"So does this mean you can read all my thoughts?"

Stefan smiled, "Not at all, only the thoughts you project to me.

"Are all v-v-vampires telepaths," Bonnie sends to him.

"Most are, but it's a power that has to be cultivated over time and there are a few vampires who never get the hang of it. If you're asking about Damon, specifically, then yes, he is telepathic. But he can only hear your thoughts if you project them to him. We can't read minds, only thoughts projected to us. "

"So can anyone who's a telepath hear our conversation?" Bonnie projects, nervously looking around the classroom.

"No, in order for anyone to hear us, we would have to be projecting our thoughts toward them. No one can hear your thoughts, unless you want them to. Besides, most humans aren't telepaths; the ones who are typically are witches, psychics, mediums, or a person who is a descendent from someone with those powers. In other words you have to have some supernatural genes in order to be telepathic, but the power is dormant, until it's tapped into, and just because you have the genes doesn't automatically make you telepathic. You tapped into your telepathy when you started fully embracing your powers as a witch." Stefan assured her.

"Does Damon know I'm telepathic?"

"I don't think so; otherwise he would have tried to contact you by now. I just did it on a hunch because I had forgotten Emily was telepathic."

"How do you know for sure he didn't know about Emily?" Bonnie sent to Stephen.

"Because when Katherine turned us, we hadn't been vampires long enough to cultivate our skills as telepaths, just like humans, vampires have to tap into their telepathic powers in order to use them, it takes time to do that. It took me about 50 years to develop my telepathic powers. Katherine told me about Emily, but she swore to me she hadn't told Damon because she had promised Emily she would never reveal that aspect of her powers. Katherine never saw Damon, or anyone else for that matter, after she told me, because the townspeople came to take her to the church shortly after I had left her.

"Maybe Emily told him the night they made their pact about her helping get Katherine out of that tomb and him protecting her family."

"I doubt it, Emily may have made a pact with Damon, but I don't think she trusted him with all her secrets."

"Miss Bennett, are you going to answer the question?" the English teacher asked, breaking Bonnie and Stefan's concentration.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Kilpatrick, I didn't hear your question," Bonnie said to the teacher.

"Maybe if you paid closer attention, you could hear. Now let's move on to documentation styles," the teacher said, continuing her lecture.

Bonnie sends a thought to Stefan, "Maybe we should continue this later, I'll call you tonight."

"Sounds good," he sends back. Neither is aware of the black crow nestled deep in the tree outside the classroom window, staring intently at Bonnie.

At lunch that day Elena decided to the library with Stefan to get some materials for a project for school. That left Bonnie free to have some much needed alone time with her and Elena's other best friend, Caroline Forbes. As usual they would be meeting in the courtyard for lunch, only today they would be minus Elena (and Stefan, now that he usually ate with them) Upon first meeting Caroline most people would classify her in one word: BITCH, but having known Caroline (or Caro, as Bonnie called her) since birth, Bonnie knew underneath that "mean girl" exterior, was a nice person. Oh, Caro could get on her last nerve, of course, and throughout their life-long friendship they had their share of arguments, but when all was said and done, they loved each other like sisters. "Hey Bon, what's going on?" Caro said as she sat down at the table.

"Hey girlie, how was class today?" Bonnie answered, with a bright smile.

"Uhh, the usual homework and boredom. I can't wait until graduation," Caroline said rolling her eyes. "So where are the lovebirds, in a broom closet making mini Stelenas?"

Bonnie can't help but to laugh, one of the many things she loved about Caro was her wicked sense of humor. "You really are crazy, you know that? Stefan and Elena are in the library working on some school stuff. "

"So will you tell me what the big secret is the three of you have, now that they're not here?" Caroline said.

Bonnie looks startled, "I have no clue what you're talking about. "

"Oh, be real Bonnie, I know you guys are keeping something from me. Whenever I walk up on the three of you, you are engrossed in some deep, intense conversation, then when you see me all conversation stops. I may be a pretty blonde, but I'm not a dumb one."

"Caro, really, nothing is going on that you need to know about," Bonnie answers, hating to lie to her friend.

"Is it about Damon? Is he dating someone else? Because if it is, you don't have to worry, I am totally over Stefan's big brother."

Bonnie cracks a smile, "I know you're over Damon and I know who helped you get over him."

It was now Caro's turn to look startled, "What are you talking about?"

"You and Matt is what I'm talking about. Elena may be totally oblivious to the two of you, but I'm not. I've seen the looks you've been sending him on the sly, and the fact that he sneaks a peak at you during cheerleading practice, while he's supposed to be practicing."

"Oh alright, we hooked up a couple of times and we're trying to see if we can build some type of relationship. I mean, Matt and I have barely tolerated each other since kindergarten, and now we're semi-dating, it's weird, but it's a good weird. I wanted to keep it a secret until we knew for sure what was going on between us and whether or not it was something worth telling Elena about," Caro says to Bonnie.

"Well, I'm happy for you both. I think this could be the start of something good for both of you," Bonnie says, clearly giving Caroline the best friend blessing. "And don't worry about Elena; I'm sure she'll be fine with it. She's completely over Matt and head over heels in love with Stefan. What will make her angry is hearing this bit of info from someone other than you."

"I know, I'll tell her soon. I promise."

Tell you what, my dad is going out of town on business tomorrow, and he'll be gone until the middle of next week; you know how much I hate staying alone, I was just going to crash at Grams's, but instead let's have a girl's weekend at my house. We'll do mini makeovers, hit the mall, go out for Karaoke at Mystic Grill, watch some movies, and have some serious girl talk," Bonnie suggests.

Caroline face lights up, "Count me in, girlie."

The two girls continue planning under the watchful gaze of a blue eyed crow, sitting on a window ledge, just above their table.

After school, Bonnie was leaving cheerleading practice. She was waving goodbye to Caroline when she got a text. "Had to leave early, l'll call you when my flight lands. I left hotel info and cash in the usual place. See you when I get back. Dad." Bonnie sighs as she walks over to her car. She didn't even rate high enough on her father's priority list to get a phone call. It had been that way all her life, she supposed she should be used to it by now, but she wasn't. She knew that he cared about her, but she never felt the genuine father/daughter connection with him. She often wondered if he was her real father, but when questioned her Grams had assured her that he was. It was times like this Bonnie really missed her mom. Belinda Grayson Bennett had been the perfect mother for 14 years, until ovarian cancer had taken her away from her daughter. Despite her father's coldness, her mother had loved him dearly, and her father had truly mourned his wife. Belinda had been the only person Winston Bennett had ever loved besides himself. The only reason they had Bonnie was because Belinda wanted a child and Winston had never refused Belinda anything. Bonnie had overheard him and her mother talking one night, about a year before Belinda died; her mom had been trying to get her father to spend more time with his daughter and Bonnie would never forget the words her father had said "Belinda, I care about her, I really do, but I don't have those fatherly feelings for her that you want me to have. I never wanted a child, you know that. When we agreed to have a baby we agreed to certain things. Bonnie will never want for anything, I will always take care of her, but as far as being father of the year and wanting to spend "quality time" with her; that will never be me, I told you that from the beginning, and it's never going to change. All the unconditional love and support has to come from you, because she's never going to get it from me. The only thing I can give her is a comfortable life." Bonnie still got tears in her eyes remembering those words from her father. She never let on that she had heard him that night. From then on, Bonnie tried to be the perfect daughter in order to gain her father's love, and after her mom died, she tried even harder. Then when he left her on her birthday last year, not even bothering to call or leave her a card, Bonnie finally realized she was never going to be loved by her father. Luckily she had her Grams to fill some of the void left by her mom. Sheila Grayson loved her granddaughter, and Winston was more than happy to let Sheila spend as much time with Bonnie as she wanted. Sheila had even wanted Bonnie to move in with her when Belinda had first died, but Bonnie had refused because she was still trying to gain her father's love. Had she known then, Bonnie would have packed her things and never looked back, but hindsight was 20/20. Bonnie let out a breath, after tucking her phone in her pocket she reached into her purse for her keys when she heard a voice behind her. A voice she had been trying to forget. "Hello, little witch." Bonnie turns around and looks up into the ocean colored eyes of Damon Salvatore.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:** I own no part of The Vampire Diaries books or TV show. If I did, I'd have way more money than I have now and Bonnie and Damon would be living HEA. **

**I am working on another story for another board, so I am going to try and post something at least once week, just don't expect another super long chapter like this one. Also this story is going to take place in two parts, the first part will be set in the present and then the other part will be set about 5 years in the future. Please review constructively. I haven't planned out all the details, so any input is welcome. The rating for this story will eventually go up to M, so please keep that in mind. Hope you enjoy**

Chapter 2

Brown silk. That was the only phrase adequate enough to describe Bonnie Bennett's skin. It was smooth, flawless, and soft and it's color was the perfect shade of milk chocolate. Damon looked down at the young witch he had sworn to protect, but tried to kill. Well he hadn't tried to kill her exactly; it was Emily he wanted to take his fury out on, Bonnie's body just happened to be the one Emily's soul inhabited at the time. Looking into her deep brown eyes, Damon saw a combination of confusion, fury and just a bit of fear; but she didn't back down from him. No, little miss witchy was looking Damon directly in his eyes, almost daring him to try something. He had to admit Bonnie was intriguing, if nothing else.

He had been watching her for the last couple of weeks, ever since Stefan had told him about her little excursion to Fell's Church and how she had been trapped near the tomb that held his beloved Katherine. Damon had felt uncharacteristically afraid for Bonnie; he had immediately transformed into his crow form and flew to check on her. He had been watching her carefully for the last two weeks. She hadn't been sleeping or eating properly and he was worried about her, which in turn worried him (since when did he care about anyone other than himself or Katherine). Damon chalked his feelings up to his promise to look after Emily's lineage. He had been watching after Bonnie all her life, even before she had been born. He had protected all the witches of her family, but Bonnie in particular had a hold of Damon. Why, he had no idea, but something inside of him had to make sure she stayed safe, even now, when Emily had broken their pact and he was no longer obligated to do so. There of course was more to him coming to see Bonnie than him wanting to protect her. Bonnie could still help him rescue Katherine, but first he had to get her to trust him. Not an easy task when a month ago he had mauled her to within an inch of her life.

"What do you want Damon? The necklace is gone, I can't get her out," Bonnie practically spat at him.

"Now Bonnie, I think that you and I got off on the wrong foot. With your BFF dating my younger brother, don't you think we should be friendly toward each other," Damon said, with a lazy smile.

"The wrong foot, you tried to suck the life out of me, literally. No Damon, I don't think we can be friends and I'm sure Elena and Stefan will understand why."

"C'mon little witch, how long are you going to hold that little incident over my head? I know you go to church, doesn't the Good Book say you should forgive and forget," Damon replied.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, as she opened her car door, "I'll make you a deal. I'll forgive you if you stay the hell away from me. If you don't, I swear I'll make a candle out of you." Bonnie slams the door of her car and speeds off, barely missing Damon's foot.

There great benefits to being a vampire, Damon thought: eternal life-awesome, the ability to transform into an animal-wonderful, being able to control the minds of humans-great; but one of the best benefits in his opinion was the ability to get where you want to go-fast. He was sitting on the front porch of the Bennett home before Bonnie had made it out of the high school parking lot. By his estimation, Bonnie should be home in about 10 minutes; if she stopped for food, about 20 minutes. He knew this would be his best chance to catch her alone this week, it was Thursday and judging from her conversation with Caroline earlier, her "besties" would be around all weekend. He especially needed to see her without Elena around. One glimpse of him and "Katherine-lite" would dial Stefan's phone with the speed of a vampire. After the weekend, she would probably go to her grandmother's until her father got back into town.

The sound of a Mustang 2 blocks away pulled Damon from his thoughts. Bonnie would be pulling up momentarily and she was alone, which was a plus. Now he just had to gain her trust. Damon had a plan for that, it was a dirty, underhanded, slimy plan, but he had no other choice but to use it; Katherine's life was at stake. This was his last hope of saving Katherine; he couldn't afford another failure like the one with the necklace. He had to play on Bonnie's sympathies, she had the most tender heart of anyone, human or vampire, he had ever encountered. It explained her putting up with Elena's drama, Caroline's bitchiness, and her father's cold heartedness. Bonnie was forever taking care of everyone she cared about, but who took care of her? Damon wondered to himself.

Bonnie pulled up to her driveway, exhausted. All she wanted was to order some food, finish her homework, take a hot bath, and hopefully get an undisturbed night's rest. She had considered staying with Elena or Caroline tonight, since Grams was at a conference until Monday, but Elena had a date with Stefan and Caroline had one with Matt. Besides she didn't really feel up to company, and they would be together all weekend. "Caw, " Bonnie heard as she climbed the steps of the porch. She turned to see a crow in the tree. Wondering if it was the same crow from last night, Bonnie fishes out her house keys from her bag. "You know, studies say you should carry have your keys out before you get to your door, to decrease the chances of someone attacking you," a voice whispers in her ear. Bonnie turns to see Damon flashing his trademark smirk standing directly to her right.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Bonnie said through clenched teeth.

"I thought that would be obvious. We need to talk about our past and let the healing process begin," Damon answered.

"Did you get that from Oprah or Dr. Phil?" Bonnie said, a small smile appearing on her face. Surprisingly she wasn't afraid. If Damon wanted to kill her she would be dead by now. That didn't mean she trusted him, but at least this conversation was putting off her going into her house alone.

Damon let out a laugh, "Well when I'm not plotting my world domination, Oprah is a pleasant distraction. I may have to appoint her to my cabinet when I become Emperor of Earth."

"Enough with the small talk, what do you want? I already told you I'm not opening that tomb, even if I could figure out a way. It's not just Katherine in there, but 26 other hungry vampires. I know you don't care about the humans of this town but I do, and I'm not about to unleash 27 blood thirsty vamps on them, they already have you to contend with."

"Bonnie, you wound me with your accusations. I respect your decision and would never ask you to change your mind. I just want to be your friend. "

Bonnie laughs sarcastically, "You have got to be kidding me. Friends; you and me. Just for the fun of it, why don't you tell me what we have in common that could cement our "friendship?"

"Well for one, Elena gets on both our nerves," Damon says, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Elena is my best friend Damon; she does not get on my nerves. Well, not all the time anyway. "

"So you do admit she gets on your nerves. I knew it, let's talk about her behind her back. It'll be just like we're on "The Hills." You can be Lauren, I'll be Brody, and Stefan and Elena can be Spencer and Heidi."

Bonnie turns her key and enters her home, "Goodnight Damon, forgive me for being rude and not inviting you in, but I like not having holes in my neck."

Bonnie was about to close the door when Damon calls out, "My father was an asshole to me too."

Bonnie stops moving the door, leaving it about a foot open. She looks at Damon, seeing nothing but sincerity in his eyes. Something inside tells her he understands the hurt that her father inflicted on her because he had experienced it from his father more than a century before. Catching herself before she can feel too sorry for him Bonnie replies to him softly, "I'm sorry about that Damon and I can understand it, more than you know. Have a nice night." She closes the door softly, listening for any noise to indicate his departure. After hearing silence for 5 minutes she opens the door. Looking around, she doesn't spy him anywhere. Assuming he used his super speed, she closes the door again, and goes to look at menus to order dinner, unaware of the crow perched on the roof her house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries (books or show). I just have an overactive imagination.**

**A/N: My story picks up after the **_**Bloodlines**_** episode. Sheila(Grams) is still alive and Katherine still may be in the tomb (I haven't decided yet on her fate yet, but she will be in the story). Also, I wanted to a backstory for Stefan and Elena that will deal with a love from his past that's not Katherine, they may or may not be together at the end of this story (another thing I haven't decided yet).**

**Please read and review constructively. Please note that rating for this has changed to M. Thanks and happy reading.**

Damon was in an extremely good mood. He was strolling home after his little visit with Bonnie. He had gotten exactly the reaction from her that he wanted. He almost wanted to thank Winston for being such a bastard to his daughter. That was the hook he would use to lure Bonnie in: she would never be loved by her father and he could never win his father's approval. He had seen the flicker of understanding and empathy in Bonnie's eyes before she had closed the door in his face. She felt bad for him and that feeling would be her undoing. He just had to keep playing with her emotions until she would be willing to do anything to make him happy, including opening the tomb. It was only a matter of time before Katherine was in his arms again. Damon closed his eyes, trying to imagine Katherine in modern times, but instead of a brunette vampire with porcelain skin, he saw a petite, curvy, chocolate witch. Damon's eyes popped open. Why the hell was he picturing Bonnie Bennett when he wanted Katherine? Not that she wasn't a beautiful girl (Damon had noticed that a long time ago), but his heart belonged to Katherine. Thinking that his hunger was making him hallucinate, Damon walked up on a young woman who was walking her dog. Deciding she would make a nice meal, Damon lures her deep into the woods. He wasn't going to kill her though, contrary to what his baby brother thought, he didn't always kill his prey. He usually fed off them and wiped their memories, but it was fun letting Stefan think the worst of him.

Damon practically waltzed through the door of his and Stefan's home. As he came into the living room, he spied Stefan and Elena making out on the couch. Not able to resist his urge to make fun of them Damon yells out, "Before you go any further, let me get the popcorn and video camera."

Elena and Stefan jump apart, adjusting their clothing. Stefan responds to his brother's tactless behavior, "Damon, you could at least say something when you come in the house." In his mind he projects to Damon, "Or send the thought to me privately."

Damon grins as he says aloud, "And where would the fun in that be? C'mon you two, we could make a fortune if you let me tape you in action. With all the hype about vampires these days, we could corner the market on vampire porn."

Elena rises from the couch, still pulling her skirt down, "You're sick Damon." Before she could say more, Stefan's phone rings. He looks down and sees that it's Bonnie. Stefan excused himself (he didn't want Damon overhearing), leaving Damon and Elena alone.

"So Damon, whose life did you destroy tonight?" Elena asked, walking over to the giant bookcase.

"As long as it wasn't yours, why do you care?" Damon asked taking a seat in one of the chairs, picking up a magazine.

"I care because as long as you're in Mystic Falls, everyone I love is in danger. You already tried to kill both my best friends….."

Damon wags his finger and interrupts, "Uh uh, I never tried to kill the blonde and there were extenuating circumstances with the witch."

Elena rolls her eyes, "Whatever, the point is you've caused pain to them and we don't have enough time to go over suffering you've inflicted on Stefan. The necklace is gone, you can't get Katherine back. Why don't you just cut your losses and move on, preferably to a foreign country?"

Damon looks up at Elena with is best puppy dog expression, "But Elena, if I leave, I'll be all alone and everyone will be happy. I can't live with that on my conscience. Besides, I still have to look after your bestest friend Bonnie."

Elena pales at the mention of Bonnie, "What do you mean? I thought your pact with Emily was broken when she destroyed the necklace."

Damon arches an eyebrow at Elena, "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. Guess I'll have to stick around town for you to find out. Now enough about the witches, let's talk about your future with my brother. As his older, devastatingly sexy, brother it is my responsibility to make sure your intentions toward him are pure."

Elena releases an exasperated sigh, "I am not talking to you about my relationship with Stefan." She walks over to the entrance of the room to leave to find Stefan, when Damon, looking down at the magazine again, nonchalantly says: "Suit yourself, but it's never going to work out with you two."

Elena freezes at the door; Damon just spoke aloud the sliver of doubt that had been in her mind about her and Stefan. Refusing to give him the satisfaction seeing her unsettled, she turns with a smile on her face and says with bravado, "Stefan and I love each other; nothing you say will make me run from him. Believe whatever you like about our relationship, but it's stronger than ever. I can understand why you hate the fact that your brother is happy; you've done nothing but make him miserable for the last 150 years. It kills you to see us together, knowing that the woman you love so much is trapped in a tomb and there's nothing you can do about it. You see Damon, this is what's called karma, after all the havoc you've wreaked, you can't have the one thing that you want more than anything. If you weren't such a jackass, I might actually feel sorry for you."

Damon replies, never looking up from the magazine, "Answer me this Elena, was that little speech to convince me or yourself that you and Stefan are meant to be."

Elena leaves out huff and leaves the room.

Stefan walks into his bedroom and closes the door, as an added precaution he goes into his bathroom to talk to Bonnie. "Hey Bonnie, how are you?"

"I'm good. Trying to deal with the whole I can not only set people on fire but speak to them in my head thing. You know, just another typical day."

Stefan answers sympathetically, "I know it's a lot to take in, but you're holding up good. Just remember you always have me and your grandmother to talk to about this."

"Thanks, Stefan. I talked to Grams earlier about the whole telepathy thing and she says that I'm the first witch since Emily with that power. She's all excited about it; she can't wait to get home and start teaching me new stuff."

"Good, everything will be fine Bonnie. You're going to be one powerful witch."

"I hope so. Look Stefan, I think we need to be even more alert about Damon. He came to see me today claiming he wanted us to put the past behind us and be friends."

"What! Did he try to hurt you or compel you?"

"No, he was actually rather nice, for Damon anyway."

"I'll see what I can get out of him. Just make sure you wear the vervain I gave you until your powers are strong enough to resist vampire compulsion. I think that's something I can work with you on, seeing as though I'm a real vampire. I promise I won't have you running down the street naked or something.

Bonnie laughs, "I trust you Stefan. I gotta go. I'm going to try to get a good night's sleep. See you at school, and tell Elena I'll talk to her tomorrow. Good night and thanks."

"You're welcome, sweet dreams."

He hangs up the phone as Elena enters the room, he can tell by the expression on her face that she's upset. "What's wrong?" he asks.

Elena answers, "Your brother. He's a menace and needs to be staked."

"What did he say this time?"

Elena opens her mouth, "He said…, you know what, I'm not even going to give him that power. You and I are together, that's all that matters. Nothing is going to tear us apart."

Stefan gathers her in his arms, "That's right."

Elena withdraws after a few minutes, "I had better go, Jenna is actually enforcing curfew this week."

Stefan walks her down to the door, after a kiss he says "Be careful and call me when you get home."

After watching Elena pull off, Stefan closes the door and goes into the living room, where Damon is still lounging. "Did Elena leave? I hope it was something I said," Damon said looking up at Stefan.

"You know, not everything is about you, brother dear." Stefan answered.

"As long as Elena leaving was about me, I'm content."

Stefan shakes his head tiredly and gets up to walk out, "Good night Damon."

"You don't really love her." Damon says.

Stefan turns around to face his brother, who was now standing in front of him. "I love Elena, just because I didn't destroy the lives of innocent people to be with her, doesn't mean I don't love her."

"You're just with Elena because she reminds you of her." Damon continues as if he didn't hear Stefan.

"Elena is nothing like Katherine. Besides, nothing was real with Katherine, she had me under compulsion almost the entire time, and you too."

"I already told you Katherine never used compulsion me. And you know I'm not talking about her, I'm talking about……….."

Before Damon can say another word, Stefan eyes darken and his fangs extend. He grabs Damon and slams him onto the floor, "Don't mention her name. "

Damon laughs, despite the fact that Stefan had him pinned to the floor. "Your anger is giving you away, little brother. After all these years, you're still not over her."

Stefan regains his composure and rises to his feet, "Think whatever you want Damon. That part of my life is over, she's dead, has been for 100 years. I love Elena now and we'll be together for as long as she wants." He then walks up to his room, thinking about the life Katherine had stolen from him.

Damon, satisfied with his night's work, goes to his room and settles into bed also.

_She had her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath. The sensations were making her body feel a unique pleasure/pain. He was kissing her the sensitive part of her neck, close to the vein carrying the blood from her heart. She was running her hands down his back, lighting his skin on fire on with his touches. "Please," she whispered, "I need you now, don't make me wait," He continued to trail kissed down from her neck to the center of her chest, between her soft full breasts, she was surprised that her skin was not scorched from how hot he was making her. She could feel his smile, as his lips touched her burning flesh, "Patience, my love, patience. You've made me wait forever for this moment, now it's my payback time." As he leaned over to kiss her breast, his hand made its way down and into her lacy underwear. He groaned to himself as he felt how wet she was for him. He rose to his knees, spreading her legs as he pulled down her panties. He leaned over positioning himself at her entrance, "Look at me" he said gruffly, "I want to see your eyes when I make you mine." She parted her eyelid she could swear she saw a bolt of lightning flash as their eyes met. He must have seen it too, because he smiled one of his rare, genuine, happy smiles as he looked down at her, "Is that how I make you feel, my little witch?" Damon said, his blue eyes sparkling still staring into Bonnie's passion filled brown ones._

Bonnie woke up in a sweat, breathing heavily. She ran into her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. As she looked in the mirror she saw that her skin was flushed and rosy. "OMG," she thought to herself, "I just had an erotic dream about Damon. Damon, the devil incarnate. Damon, who tried to kill me. That Damon. Damon f-ing Salvatore. As if my life needs to be more complicated, I have to start having wet dreams about HIM." Bonnie returns to her room and settles back in her bed. Why him, why do I have to dream about him, she was thinking. Sure, he was absolutely gorgeous (you would have to be blind not to notice that) but he was also a homicidal maniac, who would destroy anyone who got in the way of him getting his vampire girlfriend from the tomb at old Fell's Church. Bonnie sank deeper into her bed still thinking of Damon. He had actually been civil to her today. No threats, no ultimatums, he had just talked to her. When he mentioned that thing about his father, Bonnie had automatically felt a connection with him. Still, she thought arguing with herself, he was not to be trusted, and he was definitely someone she should NOT be having those kinds of dreams about. Bonnie closed her eyes, picturing Taylor Lautner in her mind. "Werewolves, if I'm going to be having naughty dreams, I want them to be about hot werewolves, instead of hot blue-eyed, psychotic vampires," she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile in Damon's bedroom, he was pacing the floor in a fit of anger. How in the fuck had he had a hot dream about Emily's little grand-witch? One minute he was dreaming about kissing Katherine, the next dreaming about making love to Bonnie. What was going on with him? He sat on the bench in front of the window thinking. "I just need to get laid, that's the trouble. I haven't had any in a while. I'll just go out and find myself a good time." Damon transformed into a crow and flew out the window. Five minutes later he was perched on a tree, still in crow form, watching a young woman toss and turn, restless in her sleep. Why he was watching Bonnie, instead of banging a bimbo, Damon had no clue.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own the Vampire Diaries. I do own an obsession with Bonnie and Damon, though.

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and marked this story as a favorite. You're making my attention whore personality very happy.

_**Chapter 4-Past-Ugly, Present-Confused, Future-Uncertain**_

**The next afternoon-Bonnie's house**

Bonnie climbed out of her car as Stefan pulled up in his sleek, black Corvette with Elena in his passenger seat. She was looking forward to the weekend she was going to spend with Elena and Caro. That thought took her mind of the disturbing, yet intriguing dream she had about her and Damon. The dream was strange enough, but then, while she was attempting to get back to sleep, she had the strangest feeling someone was watching her. After a quick check of the house with her Louisville Slugger yielded no results of an intruder, she then settled back down into her bed again, and interestingly enough, slept soundly until her alarm woke her. Still she couldn't shake the feeling that someone/something had been watching over her last night.

"Earth to Bonnie," Elena said, pulling Bonnie back to the present.

"Huh?" Bonnie questioned, looking up to see that she had unlocked the door and they had entered the house while daydreaming. Well, she and Elena were in the house, poor Stefan was stuck outside. "Sorry, Stef. Come in," Bonnie responded and then watched as the vampire cautiously stepped over her threshold. They settled on the couch in the living room discussing school assignments and school gossip. Bonnie had decided not to inform Elena of her visit from Damon the previous day, not wanting to worry her friend. Stefan had reluctantly agreed to withhold the information from her also. They did tell her about Stefan volunteering to help Bonnie with her training.

"Well, I'm going to go pick up my things from home and swing by the store. Anything in particular you want Bon?" Elena said, grabbing Stefan's car keys. Bonnie smirked as she caught Stefan wince. Even undead guys had an affliction to their girlfriends driving their car.

"Chocolate, anything chocolate. Oh and some Easy Cheese, too; get two cans of that. I got Twizzlers, cookie dough, Doritos, and some other stuff in the kitchen." Bonnie answers.

Elena lets out a giggle at Stefan's questioning look at Bonnie. "Sorry you had to hear that Stef, but a girl's weekend usually requires LOTS of disgusting junk food. I'll leave you to your training. I'll be back at about 6, Caro's bringing movies, she said she would be here at 7 so you know that means-"

"About 8 in Caroline Forbes time," Bonnie smiled as she finished Elena's sentence. Promptness was not one of Caroline's more sterling qualities.

Stefan watched the young women interact with a smile. He thought back to the people he once had that bond of friendship with. Lexi had been his best friend for almost a century, until Damon set her up to be killed by the good people of Mystic Falls. Before Katherine slithered into their lives, Damon had been his best friend. There was one other person who Stefan had shared that bond with, as well as the bond of being his first lover, one person who knew him better than anyone, the person he thought he would share the rest of his life with, before he had been compelled to love Katherine Pierce. Elena reaching up to kiss his lips pulled Stefan from his past to the woman who was his present. Stefan accepted her kiss, putting all the love he felt for her in his response.

"I'll see you in a bit." Elena said as she broke the kiss and walked to the door.

"Be-"Stefan started to say.

"Careful, I promise you'll get your precious car back without so much as a speck of dirt on it." Elena finished for him, as she walked out the door.

Stefan let out a sigh as he heard the engine come to life and Elena take off. "If it makes you feel any better she only wrecked the Driver's Ed car once and they were able to fix it in one day. And it wasn't totally her fault, I swear that squirrel came out of nowhere," Bonnie couldn't help but tease.

Stefan closed his eyes and responded, "Let's get started before I decide to follow her to make sure my car is safe."

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Damon paced his bedroom still thinking of the previous night. What was going on with him? After his dream about Bonnie, he had gone out with the express intention of finding some random chick for food and fun. That intention had fallen by the wayside when he ended up outside of Bonnie's window. She had been tossing and turning in her sleep. She had awakened and appeared to sense his presence. He had watched, shaking his head in disbelief, as she did the classic horror movie move and checked the house (at least she had the sense to have a baseball bat in hand). After finding nothing, she had gone back to bed and slept peacefully under his watchful gaze. He had flown back home after seeing her safely to school.

For the first time in a very long time, Damon Salvatore was at a loss. What was it about Bonnie that drew him to her? Ever since her birth, he had taken a more active interest in her than he had any other witch of Emily's lineage. At first he thought it was because she would be the one to release Katherine, but it was more than that. Damon had been unwilling to admit to himself that he had genuine feelings for Bonnie. Until that dream left him wanting more. He wanted to feel her touch, taste her skin, and be her lover. But what did those wants mean in relation to his feelings for Katherine? He loved Katherine. Hadn't the last 146 years proved that? He had lied, killed, manipulated, and destroyed his relationship with his brother all to have Katherine. His chance to get the only woman who loved him was in the palm of his hands, and there was no way he was going to blow it all because of some "feelings" he was having for a human teenager. Bonnie was a means to an end, nothing more. He was just getting all mushy because he knew the feeling of having a father's rejection. As for lusting after her, what straight male wouldn't? The little witch was hot, but not hot enough to give up his dream woman for. At least, that's what Damon was telling himself.

**Back at Bonnie's**

After about an hour of Stefan giving Bonnie instruction in brain exercises designed to increase concentration, he decides they need a break. They decide to sit outside on the patio in her backyard. The back of the house afforded a magnificent panoramic view of Mystic Falls. The house was one of several situated on the hills, which was one of the more exclusive neighborhoods in town. You either had to be rich or have family dating back to the founding of the town to have a house there. Which was the reason you found the Lockwoods, the Fells, and other families still living in the neighborhood. Winston wanted to flaunt his money and status around, so of course he had to have a house there also.

"This is still the most incredible view of Mystic Falls," Stefan said, taking the bottle of water Bonnie offered.

"I forget that you know all about this town. It's like you're a walking history book," Bonnie said, sitting in the chair across from Stefan. "You know, I don't know that much about you."

"I think you know the basics. I love your best friend, I'm kinda quiet, and I'm a vampire with a psycho older brother," he responds.

"I'm serious, tell me about you. What was your life like B.K?"

Stefan gives Bonnie a questioning look, "B.K?"

"Before Katherine. What was it like growing up around here then? Was Damon always a sociopath?" Bonnie then added quietly, "What was your dad like?" Bonnie mentally kicked herself for that last question, but her curiosity got the better of her. She had to know about Giuseppe Salvatore. Was he really horrible to Damon or was this something Damon was making up to play games with her mind?

Stefan lifts his head to gaze at the clouds, remembering his formative years in Mystic Falls. He begins to speak, as a crow quietly lands on the side of the house. "I loved growing up here. I've lived all over the world throughout existence, but something about Mystic Falls always calls me back. It will always be the only place I truly call home." Still lost in his memories he continues, "I had a great family. My mom was beautiful, smart, and sweet. My dad was strict and stern, but he loved us underneath it all. Back then Damon was actually a nice person. He was the best brother I could have asked for. Unfortunately he and my father could never see eye to eye. Their relationship was always tense, but after my mom died, it became downright ugly."

"Why?" Bonnie questioned, laying a comforting hand a top his.

"My dad blamed Damon for my mother's death. Damon was 10 and I was 7; she had taken us with her to do some shopping. Damon wanted to go to the General Store to get some candy; she told him we would go when she was done at the dressmaker's. He kept pestering her to let him go alone, she was hesitant because it was across the road, but she finally relented. He on his way back across the road as my mom and I walked out of the dressmaker's. He had this big, wide smile on his face; he was so proud of going to the store by himself. He was halfway across when this horse got loose from a carriage and was coming straight at him. I closed my eyes because I knew my brother was about to die, but when I opened them, all I saw was my mom lying there and Damon draped over her. She had pushed Damon to safety at the expense of her life. My father never got over her death and never let Damon forget that she had died saving him."

Bonnie put her hand over her mouth at the visual of two little boys witnessing their mother's violent death. Her sensitive heart feeling for Damon's misery; he probably felt guilty enough, without his father heaping more on him. No wonder he was willing to do anything to get Katherine; she was probably the only person he felt loved him unconditionally. Bonnie caught herself. She could not fall into the trap of feeling sorry for Damon. Her father wasn't Mike Brady, hell he wasn't even Peter Griffin, but she didn't go around making people miserable because of it. Still she wanted, needed to know more.

"What happened after your mother died?" she asked.

"He raised us as best he could. He was fine with me, but with Damon, it was an argument every day. Nothing Damon did was ever good enough. The final straw came when Damon deserted the Confederacy. As much as he wanted Father's approval, Damon couldn't fight for a cause he didn't believe in, so he left the army and hid out west until the war was over. When he came back home, Father never let him live it down. Shortly after that Katherine Pierce blew into to town, and you know the rest. Katherine was the first person since my mother to show Damon true love. I think Katherine compelled him, like she did me, but she didn't have to work that hard to keep him under her spell. Damon reveled in the attention she gave him, craved it like a drug. He still does, that's why he's willing to do anything to get her out. He wants to be loved again, even if it isn't real," Stefan finished.

The two sat in silence for few minutes. Bonnie absorbing what she had learned about the Salvatore brothers; Stefan remembering a time when he had adored his older brother. Bonnie finally breaks the silence, "Thanks for telling me, I know that couldn't have been easy to talk about."

"It's fine. I should talk about it more. I like people knowing he wasn't always evil and there's an underlying for him being that way. I just wish I could reach inside of him and find my brother again. I really miss that Damon, but he locked that part of him away when Katherine was locked in that tomb. In some perverse way I wish I could get her out for him. Maybe then he can have the illusion of happiness."

"Yeah, I can totally understand his devotion to Katherine now. She convinced him that she loved him just as he was, that can be a powerful thing to someone who has faced rejection on a daily basis." Bonnie and Stefan stare out into the view of Mystic Falls, lost in their thoughts about Damon.

On the side of the house, the crow transformed into the familiar shape of Damon Salvatore. He couldn't believe his luck. His baby brother had done most of his work for him. He could hear in Bonnie's voice the compassion she felt for him, he just need a few more moments like that and Katherine was as good as his. Hearing Bonnie speak about him, without utter hatred dripping from her words and melted something in his heart. He knew that what he had planned would eventually hurt the little witch, but what other choice did he have. Besides, the sooner he got Katherine, the less hurt Bonnie would be, and hopefully Bonnie would forgive him like she forgave everyone else who hurt her. For some reason, Damon couldn't stand the idea of Bonnie hating him forever. He looked and saw Stefan and Bonnie still sitting in silence, deciding to liven things up he makes his presence known.

"Stefan, are you teaching our friend the fine art of brooding silently? Bonnie really, you are too pretty a girl for wrinkles on your forehead. The Shar-Pei look doesn't work on you as well as it does my baby brother," Damon said as he strolled over.

Bonnie leans her head back and closes her eyes in exasperation, trying to ignore that her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Damon, "Are you ever going to leave me in peace?"

"Not until you find in your heart to forgive me. C'mon there has to be something I can do prove to you I'm sincere," Damon says, eyeing Bonnie. _"Does she even realize how beautiful she is? What those soft, doe eyes do to people? If only I didn't love Katherine……….." _Damon thought to himself.

Bonnie gets an idea in her head. She quickly sends her thought to Stefan. She gives Damon a smile, "You know Damon, there is something I wanted to work on. I need help learning to resist compulsion. Stefan offered to help, but he's not as powerful because he doesn't use human blood. What do you say to being a sort of co-teacher with him? That way I can get to know the new you and we can try to work on being nice to each other."

Stefan sends a thought to Bonnie, _"I don't like this Bonnie. If Damon even suspects you're trying to play him, it could get bad."_

"_I know Stefan, but we need to find out if he is for real or still trying to open that tomb. This is a perfect opportunity to keep an eye on him. Besides you'll be there for every lesson, it'll be one of the conditions. This is our only chance," _Bonnie sent back.

Damon, oblivious to the telepathic conversation but not completely trusting his brother or another witch, says, "I would be honored to help you. When do we get started?"

"Stefan and I were just ending our study break; let's get a couple of lessons in before Elena gets back."

"Well, shall we go inside?" Damon asked.

"Sorry Damon, I don't trust you that much. Let's just do some practicing out here. The house is secluded enough back here, no one can see us," Bonnie answered.

"Bonnie, we seriously have to work on our trust issues. How am I going to be an effective teacher if you don't trust me enough to allow me in your house?" Damon said, giving Bonnie a pitiful look.

Bonnie shakes her head in laughter, "Can we please get started, we don't have much time before Elena gets back, and she wants to stake you more than I do. I would rather not have to clean up a body tonight."

Stefan watches his friend and his brother trade barbs back and forth. Anyone who didn't know better would think they hated one another, but Stefan saw something. Something in Damon's eyes as he looked at Bonnie; something in Bonnie's voice when she spoke to Damon. There was something between them; some kind of chemistry that was simmering under the surface. Stefan didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was going to be one hell of a show.

**Hotel Room-North Carolina**

Sheila Grayson sat the desk in her room, clearly worried. Last night Emily had contacted her, telling her Bonnie's path had begun. Sheila had asked Emily to assure her of Bonnie's future. The vision of Bonnie had been both reassuring and disturbing. Bonnie was standing before her in a flowing, Grecian style white gown with a crow circling above her. The crow landed on Bonnie's left shoulder and a necklace appeared on Bonnie's neck. Before her eyes, Bonnie's dress transformed to one of blood red. Walking closer Sheila noticed the necklace's charm was a lapis lazuli and the eyes of the crow were not beady black, but crystal blue. The vision had then vanished and Emily was by Sheila's side speaking, "You must help them. There will be many obstacles in their path, but the future depends on them. They will be each other's salvation," Sheila turned to her ancestress, questioning the vision and Emily's words, "How will this come about? How can he be trusted?" Emily responds, "I don't know why the fates have chosen them for each other. All I know is that they are two halves that can only be whole together. You must help Bonnie get stronger, so that she will help him. He will break her heart, but he will mend it. When he does, they will have a love that is unrivaled by any ever seen. This is your task Sheila; you must be there to support them, they will need your guidance." With those words, Emily disappeared, leaving Sheila to ponder her beloved grandchild's future. How could she allow Bonnie to be tied to that monster, but if it was fated, there was nothing she could do to stop it. She had to do what she had advised Bonnie to do when the young witch was struggling with her new powers: embrace it. Sheila had to embrace the future, even if she was wary of it.

**A/N: I know, I know, not enough Bamon. But I wanted Bonnie to give a little glimpse of why Damon is who he is; why he was so susceptible to Katherine's manipulation; why he so utterly devoted to such a selfish woman. Who better to explain that to her than Stefan. I will have more Bamon alone time in the upcoming chapters. And yes, I'm still going to put the bitch (aka Katherine) in the story. Don't worry though, I promise she will have an unhappy ending.**

**BTW: A Shar-Pei is the dog with all the wrinkles. Can't you just see Damon comparing Stefan to one of those when Stefan wrinkles his forehead?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own no part of The Vampire Dairies. But Damon and Bonnie own a special place in my heart.**

_**Thank you for all the reviews and alerts. Again I am a Leo; therefore I'm a total attention whore, so please review constructively. **_

_**This is the last of the build-up chapters, I will be picking up the pace after this one. You will find out how Bonnie can open the tomb, more about Stefan's lost love in coming updates, and see Damon become more entranced by Bonnie (and still trying to fight it). **_

_**I do need a tiny favor. If you write a review, can you let me know if you want Stefan to end up with Elena, Caroline, or OC? I can't decide. Please and thank you.**_

**Chapter 5-Witch With A Blue Dress On**

"Tyler!!! Tyler Lockwood!!! Asshole Tyler!!!" Bonnie shrieks in the ladies room of Mystique, a trendy, new club/restaurant for young adults. "I thought you guys were my friends. First you invite your boyfriends to girl's night, now you set me up with Tyler of all people." They had arrived for dinner/dancing about 30 minutes ago, to Bonnie's surprise and slight dismay, Matt and Stefan were there. Turns out her best friends couldn't go a full day without seeing the men in their lives. That would have been okay, but they also invited Tyler so Bonnie wouldn't feel left out. After being seated and ordering their food, Bonnie excused herself to go to the bathroom, with Elena and Caroline in tow. As soon as the door had closed behind them, Bonnie's indignant shouting began.

Caroline, satisfied with her lip gloss application, turns from the mirror and responds to her friend's tirade, "First of all, Matt's not my boyfriend, we're just testing the waters. Secondly, Tyler has been into you since he got back last year. And lastly, when was the last time you had an actual date?"

Bonnie silently ponders Caro's question for a few seconds.

"My point exactly," Caro says, turning back to the mirror to play with her hair.

Elena picks up the conversation, "C'mon Bon, it's just hanging out. It's not like you're going to marry him and have a litter of kids. He was the only one available at the last minute and you know you would have felt like a fifth wheel and would have tried to leave early if you weren't paired off with someone."

Bonnie sighed, "Fine, but I swear if Tyler tries one thing, I'm holding you both responsible. Let's get out of here, I'm starving."

The girls leave the bathroom and approach the table where the three handsome men are waiting. Elena watched as Caroline's face lit up at the sight of Matt. The three of them had talked almost all night the previous evening. Like Bonnie had predicted, Elena was happy for Caroline and Matt. Elena may not be in love with Matt anymore, but she still cared about him and wanted him to be happy. She also wanted Caroline's happiness, especially after Caro's fiasco with Damon. Still, Elena felt a tiny twinge in the back of her mind seeing the two of them together. But the twinge is forgotten as she lays eyes on Stefan, who is smiling at her like she was the only woman who existed.

Bonnie looked at Tyler as she walks out with her friends. He was staring at her intently, a predatory gleam in his eyes. Bonnie felt like he was undressing her with his eyes and curses herself for letting Caro talk her into wearing a mini dress. Before she could sit down, Tyler rises and takes her hand "Let's have a dance before the food comes out." She looks over to find that the other two couples are engrossed in one another. She gives Tyler a tight smile and answers, "Sure."

Once on the dance floor, Bonnie puts as much distance between her and Tyler as possible, while dancing. She had known Tyler all their lives, but he had went away to boarding school when he was seven, he had returned to Mystic Falls at the beginning of school last year. Rumor had it he had gotten kicked out of his 3rd school, and no other school would take him with his disciplinary record. Bonnie didn't know what it was about him, but something about Tyler made her uneasy in his presence. This feeling wasn't a recent one either; now that she thought about it, she had always made excuses not to be alone with Tyler, even when they were kids, it was like something was unconsciously telling her he was not to be trusted. Up until now she had always assumed it was because Tyler was a snob, who made sure everyone knew he thought he was better than them, but maybe it was her witchy senses trying to tell her something.

"You look incredible tonight, Bonnie," Tyler said with a smirk, pulling her closer as a slow song came on.

"Thanks, Ty. You look nice yourself," Bonnie replied, being polite as she tried to create space between them.

Tyler's smirk, turned into an all-out grin, "You know, the Founder's Day Ball is coming up. I was thinking we could go together."

"I don't think so," Bonnie said. Thinking to herself _"It would almost be worth it to see the look on your mother's face. If she thought Vicki was unsuitable, I can imagine what she would think if Tyler showed up to the town's biggest event with a Black girl, whose grandma claims to be a witch. Not to mention your family helped burn my ancestor to a crisp."_

Tyler looked shocked, as if he had never been turned down before. "Are you for real? What do you have some mythical boyfriend no one knows about?" he practically growled.

Before she could say anything, Bonnie began to feel slightly aroused, heated, and breathless. That could only mean one thing: HE was close by, on his way over to her and Tyler. She didn't even have to look up to know he was now right behind her. She was now stuck between two arrogant, selfish, cocky sons of bitches. However one of them, she felt surprisingly safe with. Bonnie took a small step backward and Damon placed his hands lightly on her hips.

Damon looked at Tyler, with a smirk of his own, "Can I cut in?"

"No, Bonnie and I were having a good time."

"Ty, it's…….."

Before she could finish, Damon looked Tyler straight in the eyes and said, "I can dance with Bonnie, you have to go to the bathroom and take a shit."

After a couple of seconds, Tyler responded, "You can dance with Bonnie. I have to take a shit." Tyler then walked off to the bathroom.

"That was mean," Bonnie said through giggles, as she turned to face Damon, relieved at his intervention.

Damon looked down at her, and if he had a heartbeat, it probably would have speed up to triple time. Her laughter had rendered her radiant. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement. The dark blue dress she was wearing was making his jeans a little tight. The dress was the color of midnight; spaghetti strapped, and stopped about 2 inches above her knee. He could tell the dress was something either Elena or Caroline had talked her into; Bonnie would have never picked out something like that for herself. The strappy, silver, 4 inch stilettos completed the outfit. The heels gave her a more height, which accentuated her cleavage, making guys drool in her wake. Sometimes he forgot she really was a "little witch." She barely hit 5'5 to his 6 feet. He had forgotten that his hands were on her hips until he began to feel little sparks of heat in his palm.

"Ow, you bit--witch!" he exclaimed, pulling his hands back, realizing Bonnie was scorching his hands.

Bonnie's smile got brighter, "Just because I'm grateful for your intervention, doesn't mean I completely believe that you've changed, you still have a lot to make amends for. Besides, I was using low power; you'll heal in ten minutes."

"I would hate to see you at full power," Damon said, still trying to cool his hands.

"Don't fuck me over and you never will," she replied, saucily.

Damon couldn't help but smile at her, as they continued to move to the music (albeit without touching). There was a lot more to the fledgling witch than met the eye. You couldn't mistake her kindness for weakness or you would be putting your ass into the line of fire, literally. Still, Damon thought, _"My ass is invincible, and it will heal. I have to do this for Katherine. I just have to keep this up for a little longer. Bonnie's birthday is in two months, that's more than enough time to get her on my side."_

"_Dammit, Damon!" _Stefan projected to his brother.

Damon looks down at Bonnie, "Here come your reinforcements."

Bonnie glances up to find Stefan, Elena, and Caroline making a beeline for her and Damon. Matt was sitting at the table talking to Tyler, who had finally come out of the bathroom, was shooting eye daggers at Damon.

"What are you doing here?" Elena demands as she and Caro went to stand on either side of Bonnie.

"Well my dear Elena, when music comes on, you move your body on beat. It's this new thing called dancing. You should really try it sometime; it might help relieve the boredom of hanging with my Emo boy brother."

"Stay away from Bonnie," Elena responds.

"Bonnie can speak for herself," Bonnie retorts. "Damon was simply intervening when he noticed how uncomfortable Tyler was making me. All we did was dance for a couple of seconds, no harm done."

Caro looked at Bonnie, her eyes practically popping out of her head, "Are you joking? Bon, Damon will have you v-card before you can blink, if you let him."

"Like Tyler wouldn't. Do you really think Tyler is here for my stimulating conversation skills? Need I remind everyone here of how he treated Vicki before she di--, decided to leave town," Bonnie said. "And do you really think that I don't know that Damon has ulterior motives? I'm not that naïve or stupid Caro, contrary to popular opinion."

Damon claps his hands in response, "Brava."

Bonnie rolls her eyes at him, "Shut up, Damon. Look this night has been a total bust for me. You guys stay and have a good time. I'll see you when you get back to the house."

Elena feels guilty "No this was supposed to be girl's weekend. We'll come back with you."

Bonnie puts her hand up in protest, "No, really stay. If I had a boyfriend, I would have trouble staying away from him too. I'll be fine." She turns to leave the dance floor. Caroline and Elena follow her, trying, unsuccessfully, to convince her to stay.

"That's my cue to exit stage left," Damon watching Bonnie gather her things and leave. Stefan halts his flight, by grabbing his arm.

"Don't even think about it Damon. Leave her alone."

"I can't do that little brother. She's our charge and I take my responsibilities seriously."

"Damon, she asked for your help as a peace offering. You have an opportunity to redeem yourself; don't screw it up by playing mind games with her."

"Good night Saint Stefan," Damon replied, as if he hadn't heard a thing his younger brother had said. As he walked away, he sent a thought to Stefan, _"She looks incredible in green, doesn't she?" _

Stefan received the thought and looked over to the young woman in question. She really did look incredible in green, just like her (4x) great grandmother.

Damon made it to the parking lot in time to see Bonnie open the door to her car. He speeds over and prevents her from closing the door, after she enters the vehicle.

"This has been fun, we must do it again sometime," he said.

"I'm glad you found tonight amusing. Bye, Damon," Bonnie said, closing the door.

Damon transformed into his crow form and followed her home to ensure her safety. As he flew, Damon thought about how well his plan was laying out for him. He have a funny feeling in his stomach about compelling Caroline into setting Bonnie up with Tyler (he had caught a break, when he noticed she had taken the vervain charm bracelet off on her date with Matt a few nights ago. He knew he could count on Caroline to do something like that). If he had feelings, he would have sworn it was guilt bothering him. He chose to ignore the feeling, instead choosing to think about how Tyler Dickwood had played his role to perfection. Damon had noticed months ago that Tyler eye stalked Bonnie every time she was near and knew he would behave like a total sleazebag and he would be there to "rescue" Bonnie from the mangy mutt. Yes, his plan was coming together nicely. As he landed on the tree outside of Bonnie's bedroom, Damon inhaled deeply as he closed his crow eyes, trying to remember the scent of vanilla and jasmine that Katherine wore, but instead he smelled the scent of lavender and lilies as he opened his eyes and looked into the chocolate pools of Bonnie's eyes.

"Hello, Damon," she said, a slight smile playing on her lips.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the wonderful, lovely reviews, subscriptions and alerts. Sorry I don't always have time to send you guys personal messages, but your support means the world to me. Thanks so much. You guys are awesome. Sorry it took so long for the update, but life happens sometimes, and writing gets neglected. I may have more this weekend, but I'm not promising. Happy reading.**

**Chapter 6- The Wickedly Good Witch of Mystic Falls**

"Caw," Damon answered, still determined not to give up his identity.

"You can stop cawing. I know it's you," Bonnie said, not wanting to reveal how she knew it was him. The feelings and urges when he was near were becoming stronger with each encounter. She had no clue why she was so attracted to him. He had stalked, threatened, and tried to kill her. Was she having some sort of Stockholm syndrome side effects? She couldn't control her physical reaction and awareness of Damon, but Bonnie would be damned before she established any emotional ties to the vampire.

Damon being stubborn, refused to transform himself into his human form, sat in the tree staring at Bonnie. _How the hell does she know it's me? How long has she know? And does she know I can see straight down her dress with her leaning on the window sill like that? Little witch looks even better under her clothes. _Damon thought to himself. Engrossed in his own lustful thoughts, Damon didn't realize that Bonnie had shifted her concentration to the rocks in the flower garden of the front lawn. That is until one hit him dead in the beak. Surprised, he lost his balance and his claws left the branch. Damon had little choice but the transform and hit the ground landing on his feet. He looked up to the window to see Bonnie smiling down at him.

"You know, you are really turning out to be more like Elphaba instead of Glinda," Damon said, still trying to comprehend that he had been outmaneuvered by an inexperienced witch.

"I'll get you my pretty and you little crow, too." Bonnie mimicked, in her best Wicked Witch of the West voice, "have a good night." She closed the window, fully expecting Damon to leave. Imagine her surprise when after changing into her pajamas; she peeked out of the window to see Damon lounging on the roof of her car. Bonnie, irritated, marched out of the room, down the stairs, and opened the door with such force; she was surprised it didn't come of the hinges.

"Get the hell off my car, you jackass," Bonnie yelled, as she marched over to Damon. Damon sat up, staring at Bonnie. Somehow, she managed to make him envy SpongeBob Squarepants, who was plastered all over her (lack of) sleepwear. She was standing in front of him in a tank (sans bra) and shorts that showed of her thick, toned, muscled legs. He was salivating with the image of those legs wrapped around his waist, him plunging into her, her screaming his name in ecstasy………._"Uhhhhhhhh, I need Katherine; she's the only one that can drive these images of Bonnie from my brain,"_ Damon thought to himself.

"Look, I was trying to make sure you made it home safely," Damon answered.

"Damon, I had a horrible night. I don't feel like doing this with you right now. Why don't you save us the time and just tell me what you want from me, so I can tell you no," Bonnie sighed, weariness etched in her face and body.

Damon looked at her. He felt it and couldn't deny it, anymore. Guilt. Guilt over the past pain he had caused her and guilt over the future heartache he planned to inflict on her. She looked so tired and drained, it was all he could do not to leave and never see her again, to spare her more sadness. But he needed Katherine, she was the only one who understood him; the only one who loved him and unfortunately, Bonnie was the only one who could reunite him with Katherine. He reached out, smoothed a stray lock of hair back from Bonnie's face, gently pushing her face back so that her eyes were making contact with his. "All I want from you is a second chance, little witch. I know you don't fully trust me yet, but keep an open mind. Don't just assume that I want something from you. Let me help you with your powers."

Bonnie feels the tingle Damon's touch gives her. She is mesmerized by his eyes and words. She wants more than anything to believe what he's telling her. Because if he's telling the truth, there could be a chance, as small chance that she and Damon………Bonnie couldn't even finish that thought. It was so out of the realm of possibility to consider that Damon would look twice at her. He went for the man-eater types like Katherine the Great and Caroline. Guys like Damon never looked at girl-next-door types like her. Bonnie wrestled with her thoughts as Damon was rubbing his thumb over her cheek. Could she risk taking a chance on Damon?

"Okay, Damon. I'm going to give you a chance. An honest chance, but I'm going to be watching you. Something still tells me you're up to no good, so prove me wrong Damon. Prove to me that I'm not stupid for wanting to believe there's good in you."

Damon leaned down, his lips hovering over her's, their gazes still intensely locked, and whispered huskily, "You're as far from stupid as I am from being a saint." At that moment Damon's lips lifted and he pressed a soft, chaste kiss on Bonnie's forehead. After he turned and used his blazing speed to zoom away; leaving a dazed and confused witch in his wake.

"I can't believe you let her do that," Elena complained as Stefan drove her back to Bonnie's. Tyler had left once he realized Bonnie had no intention of staying. So they had ended up having a dinner with Caroline and Matt. It had been awkward to start with, but Matt and Stefan had discovered their mutual love of classic cars. The rest of the night had gone smoothly. Caroline and Elena did decide to leave right after dinner, both feeling bad about Bonnie being alone on what was supposed to be a girl's night. The other couple, however, had decided to take a detour back to Matt's house for some private fun. Meanwhile Stefan had told Elena about Bonnie's plan to keep an eye on Damon by asking him to help with her training, on the ride home. To say Elena wasn't taking the news well was an understatement.

"She's right Elena; we need to keep a close eye on Damon. If he's helping us, we may be able to determine if he's figured out a way to open that tomb," Stefan said, for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I still don't trust him with her and I can't believe you don't think she's in danger. He tried to kill her," Elena yelled.

"And if he wanted her dead, she would be by now. He needs Bonnie for something and right now her plan is our only plan. Between the two of us, Bonnie and I can figure out what Damon is up to. I won't let Damon hurt her, I'll be with them. Besides I think Bonnie can handle Damon with or without my help," Stefan said.

"Stefan, I've known Bonnie way longer than you. And the thing that makes her a great friend is her biggest flaw: she forgives too easily. It will only be a matter of time before Damon has wormed his way into her heart."

"The way he wormed his way into yours on your little trip to Georgia," Stefan said through clenched teeth.

"I thought we had been over that. He found me after I had crashed and put me in his car. When I woke up we were halfway to Georgia. I didn't want to go, he kidnapped me. I had no money, he wouldn't give me my phone, I had no choice but to go with him and stay, until he came back home," Elena said.

"You also got to know him a little better," Stefan said, as he pulled into Bonnie's driveway. "The thing is you were starting to soften toward Damon until you found out about his interest in Bonnie. Now all of a sudden he's pure, unadulterated evil, and you want Bonnie and Damon as far apart as possible. "

"What are you trying to say, Stefan?" Elena said quietly.

"I think you already know. Maybe you're more like Katherine than any of us think," Stefan said, looking at Elena with new clarity.

Elena inhales deeply, trying to stop the tears from forming, "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that to me. I love you and I only want you. I just want Damon away from my best friend before he destroys her." Elena gets out of the car and sprints to the house.

After making sure she's safely inside, Stefan leaves, thoughts of Damon, Elena, and Bonnie clouding his mind. Not want to go home and deal with his brother, Stefan heads to his place of solace. He ends up at the cemetery. The place he had first met Elena. He hadn't been following Elena the day they met there; he had been there to visit a grave. It always gave him comfort to go there, as if her spirit was wrapping him a blanket. Lisette, his precious Lisette. How different would his life had been had Katherine not compelled him to break his engagement to Lisette?

**Two weeks later-Sheila's house**

"Good job, baby," Sheila praised, as she tested Bonnie's completed simple healing potion. "Remember this potion is the base for more complex healing potions. So don't be lax in mastering it. I want you to memorize it, so that you won't have to rely on a spell book if you should ever need it in an emergency."

"Why can't I just use the healing verbal spell?" Bonnie asked.

"Potions tend to be more powerful than spells because you have to either physically apply or ingest them. They become part of the body and tell the body what to do to heal, whereas a healing spell is dependent upon the power of the witch casting it. But when you can do both potion and spells, you can heal just about anything, which is why I want you to be proficient in both," Sheila answered.

"Do you think if I had known all of this before, I could have healed mom?" Bonnie asked, looking at a picture of her mom that was gracing the refrigerator in Sheila's kitchen.

"No, baby. Your mother and I tried every healing potion and spell we could, but nothing completely rid her of the cancer. Some of the things we did relieved her pain and even prolonged her life, but in the end not even we could stop God's plan. That's something you need to remember too: no matter how powerful you become, you will never be more powerful than Him."

Bonnie silently nods her head. Each woman lapses into silence, deep in their own thoughts, neither one knowing that they are both thinking about the same being: Damon Salvatore.

"Well, I should go, I'm going over to Stefan and Damon's for a bit and you need to get to the airport," Bonnie said, breaking their quiet.

"How's that going?" Sheila asked.

"Good, they've been helping out a lot. Stefan can still compel me, but it's taking him longer. So what they've been teaching me is working. I'm really excited."

"And Damon," Sheila said. She watched as her granddaughter's face transformed, at the mention of the older Salvatore's name. Bonnie's eyes got darker, her cheeks flushed, and tongue lightly flicked her lips. It was starting, Sheila thought, the attraction was there, and knowing Bonnie, the emotion was there too.

Bonnie finally answered, her voice slightly husky, "Damon has been surprisingly helpful and nice. He hasn't tried anything dirty since we started. I'm just cautiously open-minded, when it comes to Damon; you never know what's going on in Damon's twisted mind."

"Well, that sounds like a good plan. And you're right I need to get out of here. I you sure you don't want me to stay?"

Bonnie smiled as she gave her grandmother a hug, "I'm sure. I know you don't like being around this time of year. And tomorrow is the one day that Daddy doesn't leave me alone. He may not be emotionally there, but he's there physically, so that counts for something."

"Alright, I love you, baby," Shelia says as she walks Bonnie to the door.

"I love you, too Grams. Have a safe trip."

Sheila watches as Bonnie pulls off. She had been hoping that the vision Emily had given her was wrong, but she now knew her hopes were in vain. Bonnie was falling in love with Damon, and nothing was going to stop it.


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so so so so sorry for the long wait. I had so much work to do. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. I will try to get the chapters out once a week from now on, but I never know what may pop up at work. Thanks again for all the support. Enjoy and please review. **

**P.S. In case you haven't figured it out, this story is AU after the "Bloodlines" eppy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries, if L.J Smith or the CW sue, all they'll get are student loans.**

**Chapter 7-The Vampire, the Witch and the Wardrobe**

Bonnie pulled up to the Salvatore boarding house, which was in actuality a mansion. She felt the familiar acceleration of her heartbeat she had become accustomed to when she knew she would be seeing Damon. Hard as she was trying not to, Bonnie was falling under the spell of the charismatic psychopath. Bonnie exited her car and walked to the door. She was about to knock when she noticed the door was slightly ajar. Knowing they were expecting her, Bonnie entered the house, thinking they had left the door open for her. Walking in the foyer, Bonnie heard a haunting melody coming from the back of the house. Following the music, she ends up in what appeared to be a music room, with various instruments, sheet music, and books scattered about. Damon was sitting at a piano, completely engrossed in playing a song. The song was a reflection of Damon, anger battled with beauty; madness competed with sanity; love rivaled hate; all put into the music, creating a beautiful disaster that could not be ignored, much like Damon himself. Bonnie was left breathless by the intensity and emotion of the song.

Damon knew the moment Bonnie entered the house. Stefan hadn't returned from school yet and Damon had taken the opportunity to play his piano. He never played for anyone other than himself since his mother had died. She was the reason he played in the first place. Sophia Salvatore had placed Damon in front of a piano when he was 18 months old and to her utter delight, he had loved it. So, his mother insisted he have lessons, and he had until she died. His father stopped his lessons, but Damon still snuck and played whenever possible; feeling that by playing he was maintaining his closeness to Sophia. He never shared this part of himself with anyone, not even Katherine, but for some reason having Bonnie hear, seemed right.

Damon heard Bonnie's breath become slightly faster and her heartbeat elevate. He heard the blood rushing through her veins. Her blood, Damon closed his eyes remembering the sweet, heady flavor of it. He had attacked Bonnie in a state of blind rage, not distinguishing her from Emily. However, after his fangs had pierced her soft, silky skin, Damon recognized Bonnie, recognized that he was hurting a person he had taken an oath to protect. Even though his raged had passed, he could not stop feeding from her, her blood was addictive and powerful. He would have drained her dry had Stefan not pulled her away from him. As he watched his little witch collapse to the ground, unconscious and near death, Damon had taken a step back, unable to believe his actions. Luckily his brother had saved her life by giving her his blood. For that reason alone, Damon would be silently grateful to his brother.

Shaking himself from his memory of that night, Damon speaks, as he continues to play, "You know you shouldn't enter a vampire's lair unannounced."

Bonnie walks over to the piano and takes a seat beside Damon on the bench. "Vampires shouldn't leave their doors unlocked for just anyone to come in. You never know when Buffy might show up at your door and unlike you; she doesn't have to be invited in."

Damon looks over at her, giving her a genuine smile, "Touché."

Bonnie smiles back, delighted that she was able to get a real smile from Damon. They stare at each other for a few moments, Damon still playing his song. Finally Bonnie breaks the spell by saying "I didn't know you played piano."

Damon snaps out of his trance to reply "Now that you know, I'll have to kill you."

Instead of being afraid, Bonnie laughs "Didn't you try that already?"

Damon was slightly taken aback by Bonnie joking about what had happened in the woods that night. The fact that she could find humor in it strengthened his belief that she was not only starting to trust him, but care about him as well.

Not being content with her having the last word Damon says "Ah, but this time the patron saint of furry diets won't be here to save you."

Bonnie shakes her head and decides to change the subject back to her original thought (no use taking chances, you never knew when Damon was serious). "What's the name of the song?"

Damon looks at his hands striking the chords; he squints as if seriously contemplating something. "You know, I haven't given this song a name. I think it's because I haven't finished it yet. I started writing it years ago and I could never get the ending right."

Bonnie glances over at him, again struck by his handsomeness. "It's beautiful nonetheless."

Damon captures her gaze, as he stops playing "Like your voice."

Bonnie's eyes widened at his response. "What?"

"Your voice, little witch. You have a great set of pipes, even if you don't use them often." Damon thought back to the times he was in crow form, checking on Bonnie and heard her singing. Her voice was truly a gift from the heavens. As much as he hated to admit it, her voice soothed him when he heard her sing. It warmed a place where his heart should have been. He also knew that like him, her musical gift had been locked away when her mother died. It still amazed him how parallel his and Bonnie's lives were in some respects. They were both powerful beings; they both had mothers who had been the center of their lives who had been taken away by death; they both had fathers who hadn't given a damn about them. So much similarity was hidden under the surface of his sarcasm and her sweetness.

"You are such a stalker. I only sing in my house, when I'm alone. The only way you could have ever heard me sing was when your flea bitten crow was outside my window. I haven't sung for anyone other than myself since……….."

"Your mother died. Just like I haven't played piano for anyone since mine died. C'mon I let you hear me play. Sing for me, little witch. I'll even accompany you." Damon begins to play what he knows is Bonnie's favorite song, "Love Is" by Brian McKnight and Vanessa Williams.

Bonnie can't help but to start singing. She and her mom would sing this song at least once a day when Belinda was alive. She still listened to it on her iPod at least once a day, to feel that bond with her mother. Damon's playing was perfect and her voice was heartbreakingly clear. As she reached the final verse, Damon started to sing along with her, his voice melding with hers for the final haunting line:

"_Love takes the tears and the pain and turns them into the beauty that remains."_

As Damon plays the final notes of the song, they look at each other. Each seeing something in the other that they had never seen before. Damon seeing Bonnie's strength and determination underneath her vulnerability and kindness; Bonnie finally seeing underneath Damon's mask of indifference and selfishness to find a lonely little boy looking for love and acceptance. As they drew closer, both knew that what would happen next could change the rest of their lives. Damon reached up to stroke Bonnie's check, closing his eyes at the buttery soft texture of her flawless skin. Bonnie raised her hands to run her fingers through his midnight locks of hair, something she had wanted to do since the first day they met. She closed her eyes, feeling his lips inch closer to her. She moistened her lips in anticipation, waiting, and wanting.

Just then a deep cough came from the doorway startling Bonnie. "Sorry to interrupt," Stefan said, eyeing them. Bonnie, flustered, stood and practically ran over to Stefan. Damon for his part rolled his eyes and shut the piano.

"I don't feel much like playing teacher today," Damon said as he rose. "I'm going out for dinner. You crazy kids have fun. Don't burn down the house while I'm gone."

Stefan couldn't do anything but stare at Bonnie, still trying to comprehend that she and Damon would have been kissing had he not entered the music room when he did. Bonnie, aware of Stefan's scrutiny eased passed him, eyes still downcast. They silently walked to the library, where they did their training most of the time.

Unable to take anymore awkward silence Bonnie said, "Stefan it wasn't what it looked like."

Stefan shook his head, "It was exactly what it looked like. Had I not come in you and Damon would have still been in that music room doing God knows what."

"Okay, we ALMOST kissed, but it didn't happen. It's just that Damon and I have more in common than I ever knew. It also helps that he's somewhat behaving; he's actually been likable lately."

Stefan sighed and sank on the leather sofa, "Bonnie, that's exactly what Damon wants you to think. You have to remember he's a god of manipulation. Remember our plan."

Bonnie takes a seat beside Stefan, "I know Stefan, but I told him I would give him the benefit of the doubt and I meant it. That doesn't mean that I'm going to blindly trust him, but I'm trying not to expect the worst of him. I think that's part of the reason the acts like he does, everyone expects him to be the bad guy so often, he just gives people what they want. I know I'm taking a chance, but maybe Damon can change, don't tell me that's never crossed your mind."

Stefan takes a deep breath, recognizing that Bonnie has become enchanted with his older brother. "I would love to have the brother I grew up with back, but it's not going to happen. Believe me Bonnie, I fell in that trap more than once over the last century and a half. The only thing that changes about Damon is his latest scheme

"Well, let's agree to disagree about that. Like I told Grams, I'm going to be cautiously open-minded when it comes to your brother. There's just something inside of me telling me he can change and I as much as I tried to, I can't ignore it. And I do realize he may be up to no good, but maybe if someone believes in him he won't follow through with whatever he's planning."

"Alright, just be careful and don't say I didn't warn you," Stefan said, resigned to the fact that Bonnie had made up her mind.

"On to more pressing matters. Did you talk to Elena today?" Bonnie asked.

"That's what took me so long. We had a long talk about you, Damon, and her. I apologized for comparing her to Katherine and we discussed her feelings for Damon. She said she just feels sorry for him and she loves me."

Bonnie nodded at Stefan encouragingly, "Good. It was pretty harsh of you to compare her to Katherine. And she does love you, I know she does. I'm glad you guys talked, now maybe she and I can have our "discussion" about Damon. She was so pissed at you; she couldn't even talk to me to tell me how mad she was at me. She's just been finding excuses not to talk to me."

"She's just worried about you and she may have good reason to be. I never should have gone along with this. If Damon hurts you, Elena will stake him and probably douse me with vervain," Stefan replied.

"Neither of you should be worried. I can take care of myself, I have been for years now," Bonnie answered. "We should get started; I have a ton of other homework that I need to get done tonight."

Later, as he watched Bonnie pull away from the house, Stefan reflected on the events he had come home to. He had rushed home from Elena's, realizing he was going to be late getting home, thereby leaving Bonnie alone with Damon. He had opened the front door to the boarding house to be greeted by the sounds of the piano and an exquisite voice. He stood frozen for a few seconds when he realized that Damon was playing the piano. He hadn't heard his brother play since they were kids. In fact the last time Stefan remembered hearing Damon play piano was the day of their mother's funeral. Stefan's thoughts then turned to the voice. It was a melodic, clear, contralto voice that was somehow familiar. As he inched closer he realized Bonnie's car was parked outside, and the voice could only belong to her. How in the world had she managed to hide the fact she could sing like that? And more importantly, how had she gotten his brother to play piano for her? Those thoughts raced through Stefan's mind as he walked toward the music room. When he was a few feet away from the door, the music and singing had stopped. When he got to the doorway he was shocked again by the sight of his brother and Bonnie about to kiss. Even hours later, Stefan shook his head in disbelief. What was Bonnie thinking? How had she fallen under Damon's spell? Stefan couldn't even blame it on compulsion, because he had seen Bonnie's vervain filled charm bracelet adorning her wrist. Still Stefan couldn't help but the feel the spark of hope in his chest. Although his mind was telling him not to get his hopes up, his heart hoping Bonnie was right. Maybe Damon could change. Hell, Bonnie had gotten Damon to play piano, maybe; just maybe, she could get him to be the caring, loving person Stefan remembered from his childhood.

**Bonnie's house-2 hours later**

Bonnie closed the door to her home as she yelled out for her father, "Daddy, I'm home." She dropped her backpack and purse by the stairs and headed for his office, which was just off the dining room. "I was thinking, for dinner tomorrow, I can make some …." Bonnie's voice trailed off as she noticed her father stuffing documents into his briefcase, along with his suitcase sitting in his chair. "What's going on?" she asked in a quiet voice, dreading his answer.

"I have to go to New York. Something happened with a contract for one of my clients. I was going to go there for something else later this week, but then this happened so I have to leave right away." Winston answered, never once looking at Bonnie, as he looked through his file cabinets and desk drawers.

"Daddy, you can't leave me. Don't you remember what tomorrow is?" Bonnie asked, trying in vain to keep her voice steady.

Winston finally looks at Bonnie, "I know what tomorrow is, but this is important. My client could be signing one of the biggest contracts in sports history and his team is ready to negotiate now, I can't tell them no. Please try to understand. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Winston goes picks up his bags and eases past Bonnie. Trying to ignore the tears and pain on her face. He did feel guilty about leaving her alone, but he was who he was and he couldn't change that. He wasn't a good father, he knew that, but he had never expected Belinda not to be there to pick up the slack for his inattentiveness to their daughter. If he hadn't promised that he would raise Bonnie, he would have given her to Sheila. Maybe that was one thing he shouldn't have given his beloved wife, maybe he should have done what was best and let someone else take care of Bonnie.

Bonnie follows her father, and does something she swore she would never do: she begs "Daddy, please don't leave me. Grams is gone out of town, I won't have anyone here with me." The tears she had been fighting began to pour out of her eyes.

"Bonnie, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Christian Louboutin's, then," Bonnie replies coldly, as she wipes her tears.

"What?" Winston questioned, confused.

"Christian Louboutin shoes. That's what you can bring to make things all better this time. That's what you mean when you say "I'll make it up to you." I have a whole closet and bank account full of your making things up to me, not to mention a teenager's dream car in the driveway. So I'll email you the shoes I want and maybe a couple of other things you can pick up for me," Bonnie says, distain dripping from every spoken word.

Winston looks at his daughter. Never once had she asked for the clothes, the jewelry, or any of the other material things he had showered on her. All she ever wanted was a father, something he could never give her. "Okay, I'll have my assistant pick up whatever you want. There's cash in the kitchen and I'll call you when I land." That said he turned and walked out, softly closing the door behind him, as the sky began to darken and a bolt of lightning flashed.

**Damon's car**

Damon was driving around like a mad man, as it rained cats and dogs. He couldn't believe he had almost kissed Bonnie. His lips had been about to find out just how soft and luscious she was. Then his killjoy of a sibling had interrupted. Damon had left the manor, fearing he would stake Stefan over his missed opportunity with Bonnie. His leaving the Salvatore property hadn't stopped his brother from lecturing him though. Stefan had yelled at Damon telepathically for about an hour, totally killing Damon's buzz from the Jack Daniels he was drinking at Mystic Grill. After drinking about 5 Jack and Cokes, Damon had danced with a couple of coeds and then took them out for "dinner." He was now driving around, still thinking about Bonnie. She was imprinted on his brain, and as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't only because of rescuing Katherine. The more time he spent with her, the more he liked her, and the more he hated what he was going to do. Still driving, trying to convince himself that hurting Bonnie wouldn't affect him, a feeling came over Damon. Something was wrong. He found himself driving to the cemetery. As he pulled up he spotted a familiar car and exited his vehicle. He walked over to the figure kneeling in front of the tombstone, crying her eyes out.

Bonnie sensed him as he approached, "She would have been 45 tomorrow."

"Bonnie, you shouldn't be out here like this. Its late and raining, not to mention you're alone." Damon said his voice laced with genuine concern.

"What difference does it make if I'm alone here or at the house; I'm alone."

"I thought your dad was home for a few days?" Damon questioned.

"Yeah, so did I, until one of his football stars needed his negotiating skills. He's never me on her birthday. I thought for sure that would always be the one day of the year he at least pretended to be a father. But he left me. What's wrong with me? Why doesn't he love me?" Bonnie said, sobbing over the rain pouring around them.

Damon couldn't take anymore and kneeled down in front of Bonnie, wrapping her tightly in his arms. "There is nothing wrong with you. You are smart, funny, and far too nice for your own good. It's your father that something's wrong with. Not you, never you." In all his years of watching Winston's treatment of Bonnie from afar, never had Damon wanted to drain the bastard dry more than he did at this moment.

Bonnie snuggles closer to Damon, enjoying the feeling of being cradled by him. She could smell the whiskey on his breath as well as his spicy cologne mixed with his own personal scent. She savored the feeling of him comforting her as the rain began to stop. After about 5 minutes, she pushed away from him and climbed to her feet.

"Thank you Damon. I really needed a friend. I'm sorry you had to get all wet." Bonnie said with a sad smile.

Damon smirks, "Lucky for you I don't get sick. Get in your car, I'll follow you home."

When they arrive at the Bennett home, Damon follows her up to the porch. She gives him another pitiful half-smile. "Thanks again and I promise not to tell that Damon Salvatore, eternal stud, really does have a sensitive side."

"I appreciate that. And just a bit of advice: Don't ever let your father make you feel like you're unlovable, that you're less than nothing because he doesn't realize your value. Don't give him that kind of power over you." Damon turns to walk down the stairs.

"Damon," Bonnie called out. He turned and took a couple of steps closer to her. "You wanna come in. I could do with a viewing of "The Hangover" right about now and you know that movie isn't as funny if you're alone.

"Are you sure?" Damon asked.

Bonnie turned and opened the door. She stepped into the house and turned, looking Damon directly in the eyes as she said, "Come in, Damon."

The next morning

"I can't believe he left her. He is such an ass." Elena said, as she fished the extra key to Bonnie's house out of her purse. Elena and Caroline were at the house often, Bonnie had gotten tired of running to the door to answer it for them so she had a set of keys made for each of them.

"I know," Caroline responded. "At least he called us this morning to ask if we would spend the day with her. "

They had decided to pick up breakfast for Bonnie and surprise her with it. It was 7am and they knew Bonnie would still be sleeping. As they walked into the living room, it was they who were surprised at the sight of Bonnie snuggled with Damon under a blanket, both blissfully asleep. Elena was the first to recover.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screeched.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries; I do own a hope that season two will have more Bamon moments. **

**Thanks again for all the love you guys have been giving this story. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. I just had to get the foundation laid for the next few chapters because all HELL will be breaking loose soon. I'll give you one guess why.**

**Chapter 8-Resistance Is (Not So) Futile**

_Heat, white hot heat. But the burn felt oh so good to Damon. His skin was on fire as Bonnie was kissing his down his chest. As if her kisses weren't enough, every now and then she would nip him with her teeth, and then lathe the mark with her wicked tongue. She had worked her way back up to his nipples and was having fun teasing them to life. Damon hissed as she flicked her tongue back and forth over his right peak as she rolled the left one between her fingers. Hearing him Bonnie lifts her head to look at him, "You want me to stop?" she said, smiling seductively. _

_Damon's eyes turned black as he looked her in her eyes, "If you stop, I promise I'll kill you for real." _

_Bonnie throws her head back and laughs, "That's what you always say." _

_Her laughter is cut off by Damon quickly flipping her over on her back, using his weight to trap her beneath him. "No more, I need to be inside you right now. I need to make you mine, little witch." _

_Bonnie reaches up to stroke his cheek, "I've always been yours Damon, even when I thought I hated you."_

_Damon turns his head to kiss her wrist. He slowly uses his knee to part her legs, snaking his hand down to find her core of desire. She was dripping wet, ready for him to invade her body as he had her heart. Damon rose to his knees, placing his hardness at her center. "Look at me, baby."_

_Bonnie opened her eyes, viewing her vampire about to claim her as his own. "I want you Damon. I lo…………."_

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Elena's shrill voice caused Damon crack open his eyes. He had heard her and Caroline pull up in the driveway. They obviously hadn't noticed his car parked on the side of the house. He knew he should have left out the back he heard them, but he didn't want to let go of his dream. He was still catching his breath from his erotic fantasy about him and his witch. "Good morning to you too, Elena," Damon replied as he felt Bonnie stir at the sound of their voices.

Bonnie fought the voices trying to interrupt the dream of her and Damon. She felt Damon shift his body, which finally caused her to open her eyes. She looked directly at Elena and Caroline, staring at her with expressions that were a mixture of surprise, concern, and outrage. "Oh hell no, it's too early for this shit," Bonnie said as she pulled the blanket over her head.

Damon gives the girls his signature smirk, "You heard her, it's too early. You can leave breakfast in the kitchen and don't forget to lock the door on your way out."

Elena shakes herself out of her stupor, "Get away from her, you psycho."

"Hey, she wants this psycho near her. Otherwise I never would have been INVITED over," Damon counters.

"That's because you did something to her. You manipulated her when she was having a weak moment," Elena said.

Bonnie finally gives up on wishing the situation away. "I am in the room, you know," she says as she rises from the couch. "Damon didn't do anything to me. I knew what I was doing when I invited him over."

"Bonnie, what the fuck is wrong with you? This is Damon for goodness sake; you can't trust him," Elena replied.

Damon also rises from the couch, "Your faith in me means a lot, Elena."

Caroline steps between the squabbling trio, "You know, the food is getting cold; we really should eat now. Sorry Damon, but we didn't know you would be here; we only brought enough for us."

"No worries, blondie. I'm leaving anyway."

"Good. Get out and stay away from Bonnie," Elena spat out.

"Elena, let's go set up breakfast in the kitchen, so Bonnie can say goodbye to her guest," Caro says, nudging Elena out of the room.

Caro and Elena leave the entertainment room, but not before Elena sent a hateful glare toward Damon. He in turn gave her a wink and blew a kiss in her direction. Caro, seeing Elena open her mouth to respond, grabs her friend by the hand and drags her to the kitchen.

Bonnie looks sheepishly up at Damon, "Sorry about the early morning drama. Elena tends to be a bit overprotective when it comes to me and you."

Damon rolls his eyes in return, "Is that the polite way of saying she's a jealous bitch?"

Bonnie bites her lip to keep from laughing, "She's not being a bitch, she's trying to keep me from getting hurt. And she's definitely not jealous of me; she has no reason to be."

"She has several reasons to be jealous of you, the first one being you slept with yours truly last night."

Bonnie shakes her head in exasperation, "Yeah, I SLEPT with you, as in both of us were off in dreamland, nothing more. Besides, Elena doesn't care about you like that, so why would she be jealous?"

Damon gives her enigmatic look, "You really have no clue do you? Listen, I hate saying this seeing as though Sir Broods A Lot said something like it already but: have you ever thought that Katherine and Elena have more in common than just looks." He looks down to see Bonnie contemplating his words. "Now that I have your little witchy wheels in motion; I should go home and make sure Stefan hasn't wiped out the entire forest population."

Bonnie walks Damon over to the door, "Thanks again for staying last night, I really didn't want to be alone."

"Anytime I can help out a hot witch, I do. I'll expect about 3 pints of fresh witch's blood in return," Damon responds, wriggling his eyebrows.

Bonnie ignores his comment as she opens the door for him. He turns around and says "Don't think about your father today. Your mom wouldn't want you to be sad today. Go do girlie stuff with Dumb and Dumber, max out his credit cards, throw a wild party; and if you really want to grab his attention, come my place to make a porno with me. Do anything but think about him and what a complete ass he is, because I guarantee he isn't wasting a single thought on you."

"You're right, he isn't. I think I'll go take flowers to mom's grave, and do some shopping; I am going to need something to go with the Louboutin's he's bringing me back. I'll even by some stuff for Caro and Elena."

"There you go, put the Black Card in the red. Have fun, Bonnie and call me later if you need to." Damon opens the door, he was about to step out when a small hand stopped him.

Bonnie stretched on her tip toes to give Damon a peck on the cheek. "You have a good day too. Try not to wreck too much havoc today."

Damon gives her a wicked smile, "I make no promises." Bonnie watches as he pulls off. She closes the door and takes a deep breath. "May as well go face the music," she thinks to herself, as she trudged to the kitchen to deal with Elena and Caroline.

**In the kitchen**

Elena was pacing as Caro was setting up the table for breakfast. "I can't believe this. She was with Damon last night. Damon, of all people. I mean, why didn't she call one of us if she was lonely. I would have come over. I would have been there for her. Why would she call him?"

"Elena, please sit down, you're making me dizzy. As for Bon and Damon let's hear her out before we jump to conclusions," Caro said.

"What possible explanation can she have for letting Damon sleep over? And why aren't you more upset about this? Damon is your ex," Elena questioned.

"Because Damon and I were more like fuck buddies than a couple, I had no real feelings for him and he certainly felt nothing for me," Caroline responded.

"And you actually believe he feels something for Bonnie?"

"I don't know, but there's something between those two. Bonnie is obviously comfortable with him and he with her. He has some feelings for her, because when we were together, we never cuddled, fully clothed or otherwise. Damon was sleeping on that couch with Bonnie with all his clothes on and she had on a full set of , so I can almost guarantee nothing physical happened last night," Caro reasoned. "What I don't get, is why are you so upset about all this?"

"That's the million dollar question," Bonnie said from the doorway.

**Salvatore Boarding house-Damon's room**

Stefan had rummaged through Damon's things all night. His brother hadn't come home last night, so Stefan had the perfect opportunity to search his room. Stefan hadn't found anything to prove Damon was up to no good. The only thing out of the ordinary was a calendar with Bonnie's birthday marked on it. Why was Bonnie's birthday important to Damon? As much as he wanted to believe his brother was legitimately trying to change, Stefan couldn't help the nagging feeling that Damon was using Bonnie for something. But what was it, and did it have something to do with the witch's upcoming eighteenth birthday? Stefan was about to leave the room when an old photo catches his eyes. He picks up the old, nineteenth century, sepia colored picture. It was a picture of him and Lisette at one of the first Founder's Balls Mystic Falls had held. Stefan closed his eyes as memories assaulted his senses. He could see Lisette's eyes and hair; smell her favorite scent of fresh lilacs. Stefan took a deep breath and opened his eyes to see the woman who helped set the events of the past in motion. "Emily?" he questioned.

The powerful witch smiled, "In the spirit. It's time Stefan."

Stefan threw his head back and closed his eyes. He knew this day would come. It was time for him to fulfill his part of the bargain he made with Emily Grayson. A bargain he made to protect the woman he had truly loved, from the townspeople of Mystic Falls.

"They are meant to be together Stefan, don't try to discourage it," Emily stated. "But before they can truly become one, the past must be reconciled, not only for their sakes, but for yours as well."

"What do I have to do, Emily?"

"Tell them all the complete truth and give Bonnie the book. You will all need to be at full strength and knowledge to battle what will come."

"Why can't you just tell me what's going on? Tell me what will happen?" Stefan practically yelled at the apparition.

"You know I can't do that. I can only tell you what I'm allowed to. Fate is attempting to rectify the mistakes Katherine made. Why else do you think you and Damon are in Mystic Falls at this very moment; with descendants of me, Katherine, and Lisette? We are all bound together and what we put in motion 146 ago years needs to be completed," Emily explained.

"If that's the case, why didn't you let Damon release Katherine instead of destroying the crystal? You could have cost Bonnie her life."

"Bonnie was never in danger of dying, even if you hadn't been there, Damon would not have killed her. As for why I destroyed the crystal, I couldn't allow Damon to open the tomb. The person who has to open the tomb will be making a sacrifice for love, but in the end, everything will be as it should have been. You must uphold your promise and give Bonnie the book," with those last cryptic words, Emily Grayson disappeared.

Stefan was sitting in the living room contemplating his conversation, when Damon came through the door. "Good morning, little brother. How was your deer this morning?" Damon notices Stefan's tense posture. "Come on, what is there to brood about today. Look the sun is shining, and we can walk in it without becoming charcoal."

"Damon we have to talk," Stefan says, walking over to the bar where his brother was fixing a drink.

**Bennett house**

"We're waiting Elena," Bonnie said sitting down at the table with Caroline.

"I just concerned about you, I don't want you to get hurt. You know what Damon's capable of," Elena stated.

"I know what Damon is. I hold no illusions that he's an innocent, but I honestly believe he's trying to change. Last night I was in such a bad place, I really needed someone. I know I could have called either of you, but you don't understand what it feels like for your father not to love you. Elena, your dad died to save your life; Caro, your dad may be gay, but he loves so much. I could fall of the face of the planet and I doubt it would cause a blip on Winston's radar. Sometimes I wonder what is so wrong with me that my own father doesn't love me," Bonnie said, blinking back tears.

Caroline reaches over to give Bonnie a hug as Elena sits next to her and grabs her hand.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, Bonnie Bennett," Elena says.

Bonnie looks up, wiping the tears from her face, "You know who else said that to me? Damon." Bonnie clenches Elena's hand, forcing her to look into the witch's eyes. "Listen to me, Elena. Damon sat up with me all last night. We talked about our mothers and how much we missed them. We talked about our fathers and dealing with their indifference towards us. I needed that from him; he was the only one who could have helped me last night, and he did."

"Bon, I'm sorry that your dad is a complete prick, but are you sure about Damon?" Caroline asked.

"Not 100%, but I know he won't hurt me. Please I just need you guys to trust me," Bonnie replied.

Caro gives a slight affirmative nod, still unsure of her friend's belief in Damon.

Elena exhales deeply, "If you say so, Bonnie, but please be careful."

"Well, now that that conversation is over, let's eat," Caro said, hoping to relieve the tension still present between her besties. "So, let's talk about the Founder's week. I can't wait for the Miss Mystic Fall pageant. No offense, Elena but that tiara is mine.

Bonnie and Elena exchange small smiles as they listen to Caro rattle on and on; each happy that the blonde was there to ease their morning.

**One week later**

Bonnie rushed into the Salvatore boarding house. She was running late, due to Caroline's emergency shopping trip. Apparently, one of the other Miss Mystic contestants had bought the same evening dress as Caro and when she found out, Caroline had freaked and dragged Bonnie along for a shopping trip.

She ran into the front door and straight into Damon's chest. "You're late, little witch."

"Sorry about that. Where's Stef?" Bonnie asks as they walk into the living room.

"He said to tell you he'd be here later, something about driving Elena to pick up her brother, blah, blah, blah. So it's just you and me," Damon said, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Okay, so what will we be working on today, Mr. Salvatore?" Bonnie asked with a smile. She and Damon had grown closer in the week following their spontaneous sleepover. The talked and joked, often causing Elena and Stefan to send them strange looks. This was the first time they had been alone since that night. Stefan was always at training and Elena was spending an awful amount of time with Bonnie.

"The usual, compulsion. Let's get that bracelet off," Damon said, extending his hand.

Bonnie took a step back. She had never worked on compulsion with Damon, without Stefan present. She trusted Damon to some extent, but not with her mind.

"Come on Bonnie, take it off. Let's get to work."

"Damon, let's do something else. We'll wait for Stefan to work on compulsion," Bonnie countered.

"Why? You can resist Stefan because he's not full strength. You need practice on someone like me; a true vampire who feeds on human blood. Now take off that damned bracelet," Damon demands.

Bonnie reaches down with shaking fingers to unclasp her bracelet and put on the side table. She turns to find Damon standing right behind her. "I'm ready," she said quietly.

Damon looked down in her eyes, pupils meeting and dilating. "Take off your shirt," Damon says.

Bonnie reaches down, struggling not to pull the hem of her shirt. Her mind was of two different thoughts. One side said give in, the other fighting the compulsion. "N-n-no" she stuttered, trying to break eye contact with him.

"Take off your shirt!" Damon demands again.

"No," Bonnie says, even as she lifts her shirt halfway to expose her torso.

"TAKE OFF THE SHIRT NOW!"

Bonnie tries to squint her eyes, her mind fighting to resist. She reaches deep in the recesses of her mind for her power, her heritage. Suddenly she breaks free of the mind control Damon has on her and closes her eyes. She opens them, fire sparking in her irises. "I SAID NO!" she screamed as a surge of power flowed through her, knocking Damon across the room.

Damon rose up, looking at the powerful being in his presence. He looked in awe as he could see the magic radiating off of Bonnie. "Looks like you can resist compulsion, little witch. Nice show."

Bonnie looked down at herself, unable to believe what had transpired. She looked up at Damon as he walked over to her. "I did it. I resisted you," she said as she threw her arms around his neck. Damon closed his eyes as he reacted to the beautiful creature in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he lifted her from the ground.

Bonnie savored the feel of Damon holding her again. He felt so good against her. She felt him begin to lower to the floor. She relinquished the hold she had on his neck, but he still held her close. Feeling shy she lowered her head. She then felt his fingers tilt her chin upward, so that she could look into his deep blue eyes. Damon slowly lowered his head to press a kiss to her lips. It wasn't nearly enough for him. Before Bonnie could process the first kiss, Damon had her face cupped in his hands and was devouring her lips.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay my pretties, it's finally time. I am SO SORRY about not updating sooner, but I had some drama going on and then I went on vacation to the Bahamas. You will be happy to know that the cruise totally got my creative juices going and I will be updating tomorrow or Tuesday also. So enough rambling, it's time to reveal some secrets. One biggie will be reveled if you read between the lines and another in the upcoming chapter. Thanks for your love and support.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries but I do own an unhealthy obsession with a certain blue-eyed vampire.**

**I'm Just the Witch Next Door**

Damon had never tasted lips as sweet as Bonnie's. They were full, soft, and luscious. He slipped his tongue in her mouth, urging hers to wrestle against his. Bonnie tentatively let the tip of her tongue flick Damon's. He stifled a groan at that slight, hesitant touch, and took full control of the kiss. He backed her against the wall, rubbing his body intimately against hers, never breaking their lip to lip contact.

Bonnie had had her fair share of kisses, but none held a candle to the one she was sharing with Damon Salvatore. Nothing, not even the erotic dreams she had, could have prepared her for the feelings of lust and longing overtaking her. She reached up to run her fingers through Damon's hair, loving the feel of its silky texture. She reveled in the feel of Damon's hands running down her back to caress the swell of her bottom. He gave it a soft squeeze, and she moaned into his mouth. Bonnie let her fingers play with the buttons of his shirt. Unable to resist the temptation, she popped open the buttons and allowed herself to touch the smooth, lean chest that belonged to the vampire kissing her to life. His skin felt cool to the touch, but there was no denying the strength and power underneath the ivory flesh.

Bonnie felt as though her heart would jump out of her chest, it was going so fast, she wondered if Damon was feeling the same. _"Wait, a minute, vampires don't have heartbeats."_ The moment that thought raced through her mind, Bonnie crashed back to reality. Opening her eyes, she breaks the kiss, even as her body and soul protested the loss of Damon's touch. "We have to stop," she whispered averting her eyes from his probing stare. Bonnie sidesteps Damon and walks over to the bar to get a bottle of water, in hopes of cooling down her response to Damon.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, still standing near the wall.

"Nothing, I just think we were getting carried away. I mean it's not like I'm really who you want to be in a lip lock with," Bonnie answered.

Damon was in her face before could finish the last word, "What the hell does that mean, witch?"

"Do I really have to spell it out for you? I'm not in the mood to be your plaything until you get Katherine back."

Damon's expression remained the picture of calm and coolness, however on the inside he was seething. How dare the little brat accuse him of substituting her for Katherine? Instead of thinking Bonnie's words through rationally, and understanding the meaning behind them, Damon did as he always did: he lashed out to hurt before being hurt. "Oh, please. There is no way I could EVER confuse you with Katherine. You think that so called kiss meant anything to me. The only reason I kissed you is because you desperately need the practice. I've been back in Loser Falls for months and not once have you been on a date. It must be fun to be the friend who holds the seats and purses, while Barbie and Theresa have guys gushing over them. When was the last time you had a guy actually interested in you? Betcha can't even remember when. You'll always be third choice behind Elena and Caroline. As for you subbing for Katherine, let's just say you wouldn't even make the top ten."

Bonnie bit her lip to keep the deluge of tears gathering behind her eyes from overflowing. No way would she give Damon the satisfaction of knowing how deeply his words cut her. She would fight the only way Damon would respect, not with tears, but with cold, calculated words aimed straight for the heart. "I may not be in your top ten, but you weren't exactly the only finalist in the "Eternal Life with Katherine Pierce Sweepstakes." I'm not the only person in the room who isn't first choice. How many times has Stefan been chosen over you? If I remember the story correctly, Katherine took Stefan to the Founder's Day Ball, she chose to make Stefan a vampire when it was only supposed to be you, she slept with him the night they locked her in the tomb. All that sounds like you were definitely her first choice to be with forever," Bonnie spat at him, sarcasm and condescension masking her usually melodic voice.

Damon felt his anger boil over, in an instant Bonnie was again crushed against the wall, but this time there was no passion involved, only pure rage. Damon's face had transformed into vampire form, fangs glistening with anticipation, "I could rip you to shreds," he hissed.

Bonnie's own anger rivaled Damon's. How dare he get so angry over the truth? He started this barb fest and she was going to end it. Even being as pissed as she was at him, deep down Bonnie knew that he wouldn't harm her, at least not physically. "You don't scare me anymore, Damon. I can do just as much damage to you as you can to me. The only reason you're so mad is because you know I'm right. Everyone is right when it comes to Katherine. She was only using you, Damon. You and Stefan were just a sick, twisted game. None of it was real, she didn't love you. She didn't love anybody but herself. When are you going to realized she just played on your need to be loved and valued?"

Damon leaned down closer to Bonnie. "Listen, little witch, my relationship with Katherine is none of your business. Like I told my dear brother, I was never compelled by Katherine. She loved me. She just wanted Stefan to feel what I had felt all the years he was chosen over me. She seduced Stefan to reject him; she was going to spend eternity with me."

Bonnie shook her head as she touched Damon's cheek, "you really believe that don't you? You love her so much, that you're willing to disregard every shred of evidence that she used you."

Damon's face slowly transforms back to its human form, "Yes, I love her. She's the only person that ever loved me and she's the only person I will ever love." He steps away from Bonnie, freeing her from against the wall.

Bonnie walks over to the couch and robotically starts collecting her things. "I think this will be my last lesson with you. You did your part; I can resist compulsion, thanks to you. I'll just tell Stefan we can practice at my place."

Damon watches as she makes her way to the foyer. Trying to figure out how one of the best kisses of his life ended so terribly. When did this slip of a witch start to mean more to him than the woman he was trying to rescue? Why did seeing tears in Bonnie's eyes make him want to stake himself? How had things gone so wrong? He still needed her. He still needed to be in her good graces to free Katherine.  
Funny how freeing Katherine was the last thought he had. Somehow rescuing Katherine seemed secondary to wiping the look of loneliness and sadness from Bonnie's face. "Look we can still work together. Things just got a little out of hand today, that's all. If it makes you more comfortable we won't do anything without the Deer Hunter being present."

Bonnie couldn't help the slight smile that flickered on her mouth at Damon's latest nickname for Stefan. Leave it to the blue-eyed devil to inject humor at time like this. Still she wasn't quite ready to forgive him for the harsh words he had flung at her. Mostly because the words were thoughts Bonnie had never allowed herself to voice aloud. She had always silently cast Elena, Caroline and herself as sisters. With Elena being the beautiful, all-American girl type that all the guys fell for and wanted to marry; Caroline being the stunning, vivacious sister that guys wanted to have fun and/or sleep with; and herself being the sweet, cute sister that guys considered a friend to ask advice from about how to get with Elena, Caroline, or some other girl. She hadn't had a date in about 2 months and hadn't been serious about anyone since last year when she had dated one of the basketball players. That relationship crashed and burned when Bonnie walked in on him kissing, not another girl, but one of his teammates. Seems Mr. High School All-American was playing for the other team and was dating Bonnie so that his allegiance wouldn't be questioned.

As she looked at Damon, Bonnie finally, truly understood his blind devotion to Katherine. Katherine had made him feel worthy of love, with her he was no longer the boy that was responsible for his mother's death; he was no longer the little boy made to feel so inferior and unlovable by his monster of a father. Katherine saw that vulnerability in Damon, and played on it for all that it was worth. She made him feel loved and cared about. Even when she was screwing his brother, she had made Damon think that it had been for vengeance in his name; that she would make Stefan fall in love with her and then she would dump him for Damon, leaving Stefan to feel the pain of rejection Damon often felt. Damon, needing those crumbs of affection, had believed every lie that dripped from Katherine's blood red lips. Yes, Bonnie thought, she finally understood the depths of Damon's pain and the sickness of Katherine's mind game.

Another thought overcame Bonnie at this point, the fact that if she wasn't careful she could turn into Damon. Someone could play on her need to be loved and turn her into a lovesick puppet eager to prove her worth to her beloved. Someone could easily prey on her mind and twist it so that anything they did could be rationally explained as something they did out of love for her. Bonnie was afraid, afraid that she would become Damon and that Damon would become Katherine. Because as she looked at the broken creature before her, she realized that she had fallen deeply in love with Damon Salvatore, and he was still in love with Katherine Pierce. "I don't think so Damon. I think I'll just work with Stef and Grams from now on. Thanks again for all your help," Bonnie said as she hurried out of the door before she could change her mind. She then got into her car and sped off as though the demons from hell were chasing her. But there was no demon after her, just a crow with ocean colored eyes.

**School-the next day**

Bonnie looked at herself in her locker mirror, pleased that her little cosmetic spell worked. She had been up practically the whole night replaying the scene with Damon over and over. Each time she couldn't control the tears from falling from her eyes. Eventually sleep claimed her and she had awoken with a monster headache and bloodshot, swollen eyes. Luckily Grams had taught her a little glamour spell for looking her best. At that moment Caroline came bouncing toward her, "Hey Bon, we still on for shopping after school?"

Bonnie scrunched her face in confusion at the blonde, "Huh?"

Caro rolled her eyes in exasperation at her friend, "Don't tell me you forgot we are supposed to go shopping for your Founder's Day Ball dress. The Ball is next week, and you have nothing to wear."

The young witch closed her locker and rested her head against it, "Okay I won't tell you I forgot."

"That probably also means you don't have a date either."

Bonnie sends Caro a smile, "Since when are you psychic?"

Caro gives Bonnie a light punch on the shoulder, "Bon, this is serious. The biggest events of the year and you have no dress and no date. We can take care of the dress this afternoon, but as for a date, all the good ones are taken and most of the bad ones, too. Hey, why don't you ask Damon? You two seem to be on good terms lately and he is hot, even if he is an asshole."

At the mention of Damon's name, Bonnie's whole demeanor changes. The happiness she had been trying to fake for Caro's benefit went away in a flash. Caroline immediately senses the change in her friend. The way Bonnie's eyes had gone flat and the lifelessness in her body language.

"Bonnie, what's wrong?"

Bonnie gives a slight shake of her head, "Nothing for you to worry about. I don't think Damon would be interested in taking me, I'm sure he has some bimbo to escort. We'll get the dress this afternoon, as for a date, I'll just have to go it alone. I'll meet you after school in the parking lot. I gotta go or I'll be late for Calculus."

After school the girls went on their dress hunt, accompanied by Elena. Caroline's keen fashion eye ensured that Bonnie would have a stunning dress to wear for the Ball. Caroline's eyes also picked up on the fact that her friend was out of sorts today. There was sadness in Bonnie that she was trying to cover up with false cheer, but Caroline saw straight through it. Elena was oblivious, choosing to make all conversations about her and Stefan. Stefan had told Elena that he had an ex-girlfriend whom he was serious about, but they didn't work out. As much as she tried to talk Elena out of her over-reaction, Caro was more worried about Bonnie. Whatever problem was on Bonnie's mind, Caro was sure Damon was at the root of it. Whenever Stefan's demented brother was mentioned, Bonnie became stoic and found a way to change the subject.

Caroline talked Bonnie into staying over her house for the weekend, in hopes that her friend would tell her what happened with Damon. The most Bonnie would say was that she and Elena were right about Damon being a jerk and that she was staying away from him. Even Elena tried to be comforting, though Caroline could sense she was relieved to have Bonnie separated from Damon. By that Monday Caroline was at her wits end and decided to take matters into her own hands. As much as it pained her to admit it, one of her besties was pining for Damon Salvatore. She wanted to go straight to the psycho but she knew he would never admit his true feelings (there was no way she would try to hook them back up if Damon wasn't feeling Bonnie the way her friend was feeling him), so there was only one other person she could go to.

"Hey Stefan, do you have a minute?" Caroline said as she sat down on the bleachers next to him. It was about 10 minutes before football practice and Elena had already headed to practice for the pageant. Caroline figured this was her only chance to talk to Stefan about his brother without Elena hovering around, trying to discourage any hint of a Bonnie/Damon relationship.

"Hi Caroline, of course I have a minute for you. What's on your mind?" Stefan replied, smiling at the bubbly blonde.

"How's your brother doing these past few days?" Caro asked getting straight to the point.

Stefan was startled by Caro's question. Why should she care about Damon's feeling, she hated him, and with good reasons. She may not remember everything his brother did to her, but she remembered enough. "Damon's okay, I guess. He has been a little more moody these days, but nothing to worry about," Stefan said. Although he did know that something was bothering his brother. Sure, Damon was his same snarky, sarcastic self, but his words for the last few days hadn't had as much bite as in the past. Stefan suspected it had something to do with a certain teenaged witch who was now only having lessons with himself and her grandmother. When he had asked Bonnie why she wanted to stop working with Damon, the young witch had simply replied that she could resist compulsion and there was no need for Damon's help anymore. "Why do you ask, Caroline?"

"Because Bonnie has been moping around for the last few days, like someone killed her puppy. I think it has something to do with your brother. She obviously cares a great deal for him and I was hoping you could tell me how he feels about her, so I'll know if I should encourage her to pursue him or get over him."

Stefan sighed, "She should get over him. Damon is too twisted for someone like Bonnie; he doesn't know how to be in a functional relationship. I think he cares for her on some level, but you of all people know relationships with my brother end in disaster."

Caro nods slowly, "Yeah, but Damon never looked at me the way he looks at Bonnie when he thinks no one is watching. He never held me through the night because I didn't want to be alone. "Caro sighs as she gets up, "I'm doing this against my and your better judgment. Tell your brother Bonnie will be going to the Founder's Day Ball alone. She's going to need someone to dance with. I'd better go; I'm already late for practice."

"I'll give him the message, if you think it best. I'm just warning you not to expect anything from it," Stefan replies. He looks up and sees the charm necklace Caroline is wearing. "That's a nice necklace, where did you get it?"

Caro fiddles with the heat shaped charm, "Thanks. My dad gave it to me. It's a family heirloom. It was given to one of my great-grandmothers by her finance."

"Ah, so one of your great-grandfathers was romantic," Stefan answers with a smile.

"That's the weird part, the man who gave this to her never married her. The story goes that he left her for another woman. After, he and the other woman died. My ancestor married into the Forbes family, but they say she never truly got over her first love. The necklace has been passed on from generation to generation. They say that my family is cursed never to find true lasting love until the right person is given the necklace the family curse will be lifted. I hope I'm the right person."

Stefan eyed Caroline, who was radiant in her green sundress, "That's a great story. I hope you're the right person to break the curse. You deserve to find true love."

"Thanks, I really have to get going. It was great talking to you and don't forget to tell Damon what I said." With that Caro ran down the bleachers and stole a kiss from Matt before taking off for pageant practice.

**P.S. I have this twisted little plot bunny hopping through my mind. Seven words : Bonnie, Damon, and Eric from True Blood.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries, if I did my student loans would be paid off.**

**Sorry about the wait, but I wanted to give you guys so fluffiness before the drama begins because the truth will come out in the next chapter. Plus I had to rewrite the chapter because I didn't like the first version of it. So enjoy….**

**Chapter 10-Careless Whisper (a cookie to who knows where this title came from)**

"There you go, Cinderella's all ready for the Ball," Sheila said as she finished putting the last pin in Bonnie's hair.

"Thanks Grams." Bonnie got up to look at herself in the full length mirror. She had to admit, Caroline was right when she said the empire waist, strapless, silk, cobalt blue gown looked "absolutely perfect" on Bonnie. Grams had swept her hair up in an intricate pinup and her silver, 4 ½ inch Jimmy Choos completed the outfit. She was amazed at her transformation. Gone was the girl next door and in her place stood a sexy young woman. "Wow," she whispered to herself as she turned to view herself at every angle.

"You look amazing, baby," Sheila said as she watched her grandchild. "You feeling a little better now?"

Bonnie looked at her grandmother, "What do you mean? I've been fine."

"Little girl, I know you better than you know yourself. I know when something is bothering you and something has been bothering you for the past week. I may be wrong, but I think it may have something to do with the fact that you haven't been seen in the company of the eldest Salvatore lately. Are the two of you back to hating each other?"

"Why does everyone think I'm upset because I haven't seen Damon? We had a deal and he upheld his end, there is no need for us to see each other on a regular basis anymore," Bonnie said, not making eye contact with Sheila. "There is nothing between me and Damon."

"There may be nothing going on, but that doesn't mean there is no feeling involved. And I would bet my life that you have strong feelings for Damon," Sheila replied, tilting Bonnie's head with her fingertips, so that they were looking each other in the eyes.

Bonnie looked at her grandmother and could no longer deny her feelings. "I think I love him. But it doesn't make a difference, he's still in love with Katherine and he always will be," she got out between gulps of breaths to keep from sobbing.

Sheila wrapped her arms around Bonnie, conflicted as to what to say to her beloved grandbaby. On one hand she wanted to do as she was directed by Emily and encourage Bonnie to fight for Damon, anyone could clearly see that he had some feelings for Bonnie. On the other hand, if Damon was still obsessed with Katherine, then what did that mean for Bonnie? Sheila inhaled deeply and chose her words carefully, "Give yourself some more time away from Damon and listen to what your heart tells you. If you feel Damon is the one you want, then the only thing you can do is let him know your feelings and hope that he can let his love for Katherine go. Just don't dwell on it. You have a lot going on right now. We have the Ball tonight, its two weeks until your birthday, and then your prom and graduation. You have a lot going on; enough to help keep your mind off Damon."

"Alright," Bonnie answered. "It's a good thing I wore waterproof mascara, otherwise we would have to redo my makeup, and Caro would kill me for being late."

Sheila smiled as she fixed a stray lock of Bonnie's hair and the two walked out the door.

**Mystic Falls Founder's Day Ball**

Bonnie and Sheila walked into the ball room. It had been transformed into a beautiful sea of black and white. Bonnie had to admit that Dana Lockwood was the best when it came to throwing a party.

"Looks like we're just in time for them present the pageant court," Sheila said.

"The first runner up to the title of Miss Mystic, Elena Gilbert," the emcee said as the two witches took their seats.

Bonnie watched with pride and excitement as Elena made her way down the staircase and onto the arm of Stefan. It appeared that Elena had gotten over the fact that Stefan had been engaged in his human life. Of course Bonnie had to hear the brunt of Elena's anger at Stefan, because of Caro's lack of knowledge about Stefan and Damon being vampires. How would Elena explain the fact that "18 year-old" Stefan used to have a fiancée? So they came up with excuse that Stefan had a serious girlfriend in his past to explain why Elena was angry at Stefan to Caro (not that Bonnie herself understood Elena's anger. Did Elena really think she and Katherine had been the only women in Stefan's life? At least he was honest about being engaged and had not hidden it like he did Elena's resemblance to Katherine). Bonnie closed her eyes in frustration at all the lies and half-truths that she and Elena had been feeding Caroline. Sometimes Bonnie just wanted to tell Caro the whole truth.

"Now introducing Miss Mystic 2010, Caroline Forbes," the emcee announced. Caroline practically floated downstairs into Matt's waiting arms. Bonnie beamed with happiness at Caro and Matt. She was so happy for her two friends. Matt seemed to ground Caroline and Caro, in turn, seemed to bring smiles to Matt's handsome face more often. The two were currently leading the court to the dance floor for the annual pageant court dance. Bonnie waved over to Jenna and Jeremy, who were seated two tables over from them. Jenna appeared to be dateless but Jeremy was holding hands with a pretty young girl who looked to be of Asian descent.

"Bonnie, you look positively stunning," Dana Lockwood said as she came up behind Bonnie and Sheila.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lockwood. You look lovely also. You did a great job organizing Founder's Day this year," Bonnie answered.

"Thank you. But I didn't get everything I wanted: I did fail to get you to join the pageant court. It's a sin that you are not on that floor dancing with right now. I know for sure Tyler would have been happy to be your escort," Dana said.

Bonnie laughed, "I think the court is perfect without me, but you did make it difficult for me to turn down. Grams, I'm going to go take pictures closer to the dance floor." She grabbed her camera from her purse and glided over to the edge of the dance floor. As she was taking pictures, Caroline caught her eye and waved. Elena threw Bonnie a wink as she and Stefan twirled on the dance floor. That's when she felt him walk in. Damon had arrived. Bonnie looked over to the doorway of the ballroom to find him staring directly at her. Bonnie felt herself began to salivate at the sight of him lazily lounged against the doorway. He was sin in a tuxedo; desire on two feet. The air was all but crackling between blue eyes and brown ones.

Sheila felt the power surge as she was talking to Dana. She looked up to find Bonnie and Damon in a staring contest. The air between the two was practically sparking with sexual tension. It was then she realized and accepted that Damon was Bonnie's mate. Whatever reservations and doubts Sheila had burned to ash at the look of fire on Bonnie's face and the look of hunger on Damon's.

Sheila wasn't the only one who felt the change in the atmosphere. Stefan looked up to see what was making the air around room heated. He looked at his brother stare down the witch and watched as Bonnie stared right back at Damon. You could cut the tension between the two with a dull knife. Stefan saw Damon shift slightly and knew his brother would be making his way over to Bonnie. "_Bonnie," _Stefan called to her telepathically, hoping to break the spell between the witch and vampire. There was no way he could allow his brother to get to Bonnie. Not now that he had read Emily's grimoire and spoken to another witch. He knew what Damon's plan was, now all he had to do was figure out how to tell Bonnie as gently as possible that his brother had been using her all along.

Bonnie shivered back to reality at Stefan's call. She broke her eyes from Damon's. She saw that Damon was now making his way through the crowd towards her. Bonnie made her way in the other direction, hoping to reach the other ballroom door so she could go pull herself together in the ladies room.

Damon saw prey attempting to escape. She looked absolutely breathtaking in her gown. He had seen the appreciative, lustful looks she had been given by the men in the room and had wanted to drain each man dry for daring to look at his witch that way. She was HIS and his alone. He had been miserable this last week. Nothing he did took away the feeling that he was missing a part of him. He tried drinking but his inability to get completely drunk got in the way of drowning his sorrows. He tried taking a few ladies out for "dinner" but alas, he only drank from them and sent them on their way with memories erased. Now looking at the little witch running in the other direction, he knew why. He wanted her. He needed to taste her again, not her blood, but her. The sweet taste that was Bonnie alone; it was a combination of innocence, power, kindness, strength, and something Damon couldn't put his finger on. Something that drew him to her; something that made him forget all about Katherine Pierce and focus only on Bonnie Bennett. He had no idea what that meant for his plan to get Katherine out of the tomb, but right now he didn't care, he had to have Bonnie. Damon was following the object of his desire to the other exit when he felt a hand grab his forearm. "How may I help you, Your Highness?" Damon said to Caroline.

"Dance with me," Caro said, tugging him toward the dance floor.

"No thanks, everyone will ignore you and your crown in favor of my hotness. We wouldn't want that, now would we?" Damon shot back.

"Funny, but we really need to talk," Caroline insisted.

"Fine," Damon said, having lost Bonnie in the crowd anyway. The two head out for the dance floor and Caroline begins to talk.

"I don't like you," she said.

"Tell me how you really feel, there's no need to be subtle, Caroline," Damon said, putting on a hurt expression.

"I don't like you, but Bonnie does," Caro continues, making Damon's expression turn serious as they swayed with the music. "She cares about you a great deal. That makes me believe that there has to be something redeemable about you. Don't hurt her, please Damon. She's not like me, if you hurt her, she'll just retreat deeper into the shell she already hides in. She's been poking her head out more lately, and I know it's due, mostly, to you. She doesn't believe how special she is and if you take advantage of her, it'll just confirm her worst thoughts about herself. If she doesn't mean anything to you, then leave her alone now."

"Or what?" Damon asked.

Suddenly Caro's eyes flashed a slight amber color for a split second. Had Damon not been blessed with vampire keen eyesight, he would have missed it. Not that he was surprised, but it seemed that Caroline's true nature was bubbling to the surface. Wouldn't St. Stefan get a kick out of that?

"Or I will rip you to shreds. Whatever went on between us is over and forgotten, but Bonnie is a different story. If you harm her I will make you pay. Don't underestimate me Damon, I'm deadly serious," Caroline said in a soft whisper that was more intimidating than if she had been ranting and raving. "Thanks for the dance." She finished as she stopped moving and left the dance floor. Leaving Damon to wonder should he be angry, amused, or frightened by Caroline's threat. Or maybe all three, seeing as though she could actually carry out her threat if she knew what she truly was. Damon looked up to find that Bonnie had returned to the ball room and was now talking to Stefan and Elena. He made his way over to her with an aura that dared anyone to stop him this time. No, it was time for his witch to be in his arms.

Bonnie watched helplessly as Damon came over to her. She couldn't run this time; the look in his eyes had frozen her in her tracks. She was barely listening to Stefan talking to her. Damon was first and foremost in her mind.

"_Bonnie, this is important. We have to talk TONIGHT," _was the thought Stefan sent to her.

"Dance with me, little witch," Damon said as he approached the trio, and took Bonnie's hand.

"No," Stefan said, capturing Bonnie's other hand.

Bonnie looked from brother to brother. Seeing the passionate look Damon was giving her and the worried look Stefan was sending her. Her choice had been made long ago, though. "I trust him Stefan," she whispered to her friend.

"Bonnie, you don't know…" Stefan began, refusing to relinquish her hand.

"She said she trusts me. Now let her go," Damon said, as silent threat underlying the simplicity of his words.

"Stefan, please don't make a scene. Let them go," Elena reasoned with her boyfriend.

Stefan sent Damon a look of contempt, as he dropped Bonnie's hand. "Have fun while can," he sneered.

Elena and Stefan watched as Damon led Bonnie to the dance floor, arm and arm. Elena cold no longer contain her curiosity as to what had upset Stefan so badly. He had been seething when since last night, but would not share with her the reason why saying that he didn't want to upset her big day. Elena took him by the hand and ushered him to a secluded alcove outside of the ball room. "Stefan what's going on? And what does it have to do with Bonnie and Damon?" she asked.

"Everything. He's using her. I got complete confirmation last night. My demented brother has made Bonnie think he cares about her so that she'll do a spell to open the tomb," Stefan answered.

Meanwhile in the ball room, Damon was holding Bonnie close as the danced to an emotional love song. Damon could hear the whispers of the invited guests. Most comments on how perfect for each other the young couple seemed to be. Damon looked down into Bonnie's eyes and realized there was no place he would rather have been at that moment than right there with her. As that thought crossed his mind he leaned down to give Bonnie a full, passionate kiss that she returned with equal feeling. The kiss made several on lookers gasp audibly, some fan themselves, and some look away blushing. As Damon lifted his head Bonnie couldn't help but think that her evening was perfect.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries, but I do own a crazy ass cat, who is lying by my side as I type.**

**A/N: I changed some things that happened on the show to suit this story. One is how Bree, the witch Damon went to see in Atlanta, died. You'll see why as you read. Another is that Damon didn't kill Lexi, he set her up to be killed by the council, but he didn't actually stake her. **

**Chapter 11-And the Truth Shall Set You ….On Fire**

Damon held Bonnie close on the dance floor. She felt right in his arms. For the first time in his life, both mortal and immortal, Damon felt content. That didn't mean his mind wasn't working overtime. He was confused as to what his true feelings for Bonnie and Katherine were. With Bonnie he was content, almost happy. She made him feel calm and wanted. Bonnie Bennett made Damon Salvatore want to be a better man, a man worthy of her heart. With Katherine she fed his anger, made him want revenge on the ones who had wronged him. Katherine relished his rage and that made his love for her hot, passionate and all consuming.

"Damon," Bonnie's soft voice said, pulling him away from his conflicting emotions. "Are you okay?"

Damon stared down at the chocolate pools that were full of concern and caring. Had Katherine ever looked at him that way?

"What could possibly be wrong? I'm the hottest guy in the room and the hottest girl in the room just fell in my arms," he responded with his signature smirk.

"God forbid the great Damon Salvatore should admit he has feelings," Bonnie answered as she laid her head against his chest as they continued to move with the music.

"I have feelings. Right now I feel like we should get out of here," he whispered.

"I don't think I'm ready for all that Damon. I mean we just got over hating each other a couple of weeks ago. We don't even know what's going on between us," Bonnie replied.

Damon cups her head in his hands, "Hey, I would never pressure you to do anything you don't want to. I just want to get you away from all these horny men before I have to go Count Dracula on them," he said, causing Bonnie to blush and giggle. "You look hot, little witch; too hot for anyone's eyes but mine."

Bonnie shivered at the possessiveness of Damon's words. Looking up directly into his eyes, Bonnie took a deep breath and ignored the small voice in her mind that was telling her this night was going to end badly and answered him: "Let me grab my purse and tell Grams I'm leaving. I'll meet you out front."

Damon walks out of the ballroom and is waiting for the valet to bring his car around when he feels a light touch on his arm.

"I'm ready Damon," Bonnie says as she slips her hand into his.

Stefan opened the door to the small abandoned cabin. The cabin held so many memories for him. It was where he had awoken to find that he and his brother had a choice to become a part of the supernatural community as vampires. It was where he had finally been released from Katherine's spell and realized he had lost Lisette. It was where he had lost whatever relationship he and his brother ever had. It was where he had made his deal with Emily to bind Lisette's powers and those of her lineage in return for future favor. And unknown to Stefan then, it was where Damon had made his own pact with Emily in order to be with Katherine.

"Why are we here Stefan?" Elena asked as she looked around the decrepit structure.

"This is where Emily brought me and Damon after we had been shot. We woke up, Katherine was dead, or so we thought, and we had the choice to either die or turn. Obviously you know what our choice was. After we turned, Emily asked a favor of me. Emily knew that eventually the townspeople would catch up to her. Damon and I both tried to convince her to leave Mystic Falls, but she refused. She said that it was imperative to the future that she stay here, but before she returned to town she gave me this to protect," Stefan answered as he pulled an huge, old book from under a floorboard he had pulled up.

"What is it?" Elena said, as she held the book reverently.

"It's Emily's grimoire. It's a kind of spell book slash diary. It has every spell and potion Emily ever completed in it. A witch who has this book can reproduce, enhance, or reverse any spell in it," Stefan said.

"So what you're saying is Damon wants Bonnie to reverse the tomb spell," Elena replied.

"That's what I think. I've been talking to a witch that knows Damon very well. In fact he tried to kill her a while ago,"

"Bree?" Elena questioned.

"How did you know?" Stefan asked.

"I met her when he took me to Atlanta. They seemed really close. Why would Damon try to kill her?"

"Because she was the one who told Lee he was in town. Damon went back to kill her, but what he didn't realize was that Bree had taken precautions and ingested some on Lee's blood before she died. Lee turned her and she's been trying to help me figure out what Damon has planned for Bonnie," Stefan answered.

"So did I take it you two figured it out?" Elena said, ignoring the pangs of anger at Stefan not sharing his plans with her. She was still getting over her jealousy of Stefan's long dead fiancée. Elena knew she was being irrational, but she hate knowing she wasn't the only love of Stefan's life. It was the hidden part of her personality that Elena didn't like to admit existed. She loved being the center of attention. She loved the covert looks of longing that Matt used to send her before he had gotten involved with Caro; she relished knowing that Damon felt something for her because of her uncanny resemblance to Katherine. It made her feel sexy and powerful. What kind of person did that make her? Was she really more like her ancestor than she wanted to admit?

"Yeah, and it's not going to be pretty when we tell Bonnie the truth. It's going to really hurt her Elena. You saw her tonight, she honestly believes Damon cares for her," Stefan said jolting Elena back to the present.

Elena feels her phone vibrate and ding indicating a text. She reads the text from Caroline and says to Stefan, "we have to go. Damon and Bonnie left the ball together. If you're right, then we have to tell Bonnie the truth before she falls in any deeper with Damon."

"He probably took her to our place. Let's go."

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Damon barely shut the door behind him before he had Bonnie in his arms. His lips devoured her as he walked her into the living room. Damon lifted Bonnie and seated her on the desk. With her dress bunched up at her waist, she wrapped her legs around Damon's waist bringing him closer, and feeling his obvious desire for her. She pulled away lips from his just a fraction to say, "Damon, I think we should slow down. I don't want to do something I'll regret."

Damon rests his head against hers with his eyes closed. He realizes that had this situation occurred about month ago, he would have been seducing Bonnie into changing her mind; especially hearing the waver in her voice. His little witch wanted him, all he had to do was apply a little pressure and she would happily fall into his bed. But he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't, wouldn't use her trust in him that way. Opening his eyes, he places another soft kiss upon her lips. "I told you, we won't go any further than you want. I thought you trusted me?" Damon said, pouting his lips.

"_I do trust you, Damon. It's me I don't trust,"_ Bonnie said to him telepathically.

Damon lifted his head, surprise written all over his face. "You're a telepath," he said incredulously.

"Yes. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I just….." Bonnie trailed off.

"I understand. I don't blame you for it. But think off all the fun we missed out on. We could have been talking about Elena and Stefan all this time without them knowing," Damon said.

Bonnie throws back her head in laughter, pleased that he wasn't upset or hurt. Damon takes advantage of her exposed neck by placing delicate kisses on it. He can hear her heart pounding with desire and feel her blood rushing through her veins. The thought of her sweet, intoxicating blood so close to him caused his eyes to blacken and his fangs to extend.

"_Do it Damon, go ahead,"_ Bonnie sent to him.

"_Are you sure? "_ Damon sent back.

Bonnie raises her head to look him in the eyes and says, "I trust you to stop. I can feel your hunger and I want to do this for you. I told you, you don't scare me anymore."

"He should," Stefan said from the doorway. Damon and Bonnie had been so caught up in each other that neither had heard Stefan and Elena enter the house. "He should scare you very much, Bonnie."

Damon turns to Stefan, "Your eternally scowled forehead is ruining the mood. Now can you please take your Bella wannabe and go talk about how depressing your lives are upstairs?" He turns back to Bonnie, who had slid from the desk and was blushing furiously. "Now where were we?"

"We were at the part where I tell Bonnie about her "witch's gift," Stefan said coming fully into the living room.

Damon had Stefan against the wall in the blink of an eye, "shut up, if you know what's good for you."

"Why Damon, do you have something to hide? Are you afraid Bonnie will be angry if she finds out that she can open the tomb for you?" Stefan questioned, as Damon tried to cut him off.

"Damon, let him go," Elena said trying to intervene.

"Stay the hell out of this Elena," Damon yelled.

The three of them continued their back and forth, as Bonnie watched in utter confusion. Finally tired of the yelling and accusations being flung between them, Bonnie closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly there was silence in the room, as neither Stefan, Elena, or Damon could talk. Damon released his hold on his brother. Bonnie waved her hand, releasing the trio from the silence spell, and began to speak. "Could someone please tell me what the hell is going on."

Stefan began talking, "Bonnie, I found out on the day you turn eighteen, you can reverse any one spell that Emily cast. Meaning you can open the tomb. Damon found out about this on his little trip to Atlanta."

Bonnie stared at Damon, "That's not true, Stefan."

"It is Bonnie and this is the proof," Stefan said gently as he handed her Emily's grimoire. "Everything that I found out from the other witch is in this book. This was Emily's and she asked me keep it safe until I had a sign as to what witch of her lineage to give it to. This book was meant for you and the "witch's gift" spell is right here in black and white. I'm sorry, but this spell is the reason Damon wanted to get close to you."

Bonnie took the book from Stefan and stared at the spell. She then looked at Damon, who had his eyes downcast. "Damon," she said softly. "Please say something."

"What do you want me to say? I needed you to open the tomb and get Katherine out. I was willing to do anything to accomplish that," Damon said coldly.

"Damon you don't mean that," Bonnie said, desperate to believe that Damon felt something for her.

Damon quirked his eyebrow at her, "Don't I?" His smile made Bonnie feel sick inside. This couldn't be happening. Not after everything they shared. Damon couldn't have been using her this whole time. She couldn't have been that stupid.

Damon walked over to the bar, and poured himself a glass of scotch. He could feel the gazes coming from the three sets of eyes. Stefan's judgmental, Elena's glaring with blame, and Bonnie's full of hurt, denial, and a sliver of hope. Damon feeling backed into a corner, came out swinging at the most vulnerable person in the room; the person who he blamed for stirring up the whole mass of tender feelings in his heart; feelings he swore he would never feel for anyone but Katherine. The damned witch had made him forget his goal, but no more. Katherine was who he wanted, Katherine understood him and accepted him for who he was. She, not the witch was the one he wanted in his life.

"Sorry Sabrina, but my dear brother has let the Katherine out of the bag. Did you really think I honestly felt something for you? You fell for everything just like I wanted you too. The only wrench in my plan was St. Stefan. Tell us Stefan how did you find out?" Damon said, sipping his drink as he fought the feelings of despair threatening to overwhelm him.

"I don't give a damn how he found out, all I care about is that it's true," Bonnie said. She walked over to Damon and delivered a slap that made both Elena and Stefan flinch. "I guess you are a saint, because I'm the stupidest person I know. All this time I've been trying to convince you that Katherine was cold and heartless, when I should have been telling myself those things about you. I can understand what you did, but did you really have to take it so far. Was it necessary to make me think you wanted me as more than a friend?"

Looking into her eyes was like looking into a black hole for Damon. They were dry and full of turbulent emotions. Damon realized he had managed to do what years of neglect from her father had failed to accomplish; he had broken Bonnie's spirit. Damon opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off by Bonnie.

"I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear any more excuses or explanations. I don't want to have anything to do with you, Damon. I think I really hate you this time, not because you wanted me to get Katherine for you, but because you preyed on my feelings and insecurities to get what you wanted. That's what I can't forgive or forget."

Damon finally finds his words, "little witch….."

"DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN!" Bonnie screamed as she waved her hand at a vase behind Damon, causing it to explode into a ball of fire, barely missing the vampire. "If you come near me again, that" she said, tilting her head at the simmering shards now on the floor, "will be you." She then turned and ran from the house. Elena started to go after her, when Damon stopped her with his words.

"She came in my car; she doesn't have a way home." Damon said staring at the now extinguished, ruined vase.

Stefan threw his keys at Elena, who followed her friend out of the house.

Damon waited until he heard Stefan's car start up and pull away from the house. It was then Bonnie's broken sobs were finally out of range of his vampire hearing. Damon turned to his younger brother and began applauding, "Bravo, little brother. May I ask how you found out everything?

"Well I found your calendar with Bonnie's birthday circled. I started to wonder what was so important about her birthday to you. So I retraced your steps from the moment the necklace was destroyed. I ended up getting in touch with Bree."

"I snapped that bitch of a witch's neck," Damon said.

"No, you thought you killed her. Seems that she knew you would try to kill her and had Lee give her some blood and turn her after you left her for dead. She told me what she told you about a witch or warlock being able to reverse any spell cast by an ancestor on the day they turn eighteen. Emily left her grimoire with me, so it was easy enough to check to see if it was true," Stefan enlightened his brother.

"As I said, you played it well. How may I ask did you end up with Emily's grimoire? Does it have anything to do with the fact that our sweet little Caroline is mortal and doesn't know what she is?"

"Maybe, but my dealings with Emily are none of your business," Stefan said.

"Oh yes they are. You ruined things with my witch and now I may never get Katherine from that tomb. I am going to make sure you pay for tonight Stefan. Mark my words, little brother. Just a bit of warning, I know you told Elena about Lisette, but I can't help but wonder just how much you told her? Did you tell her that her other best friend's great-whatever grandmother used to be your fiancée? And that said best friend is a dormant werewolf?" Damon gives his brother an evil smile.

"Is that a threat, Damon?" Stefan asked.

"What do you think? You destroyed my chances of getting Bonnie to open that tomb, so now it's up to you to convince her, unless you want me to tell our dear Elena EVERYTHING about Lisette Chamberlain-Forbes. Have a good night, baby brother and remember you are working on a two week deadline," Damon said as he sauntered from the room.

Stefan collapsed on the couch, wondering if he had just made the situation worse by telling Bonnie the truth.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12-What Doesn't Kill You…**

Bonnie sat in the passenger seat of Stefan's car as Elena sped away from the Boarding House. Tears trickling down her cheeks, sobs wrenched from her very heart. A heart that had been shredded to pieces by one Damon Salvatore.

"Bon, sweetie, you have to calm down. You're going to make yourself sick crying like this," Elena said, smoothing Bonnie's hair from her face.

It was then that Bonnie realized they had stopped moving and were in front of her house. Her house, she had to go into that house alone. How could she have been so stupid to think that Damon was falling for her? How could she have forgotten how good he was a manipulating those around him? Why had she repeatedly ignored the warnings Stefan and Elena had given her? Deep down Bonnie knew the answer to these questions. She loved him, despite the revelations of tonight, despite the crippling pain in her chest; Bonnie Bennett was completely in love with Damon Salvatore.

"I'm so pathetic," she whispered.

"No you're not," Elena said, lifting Bonnie's chin to look at her, wincing when she saw the pain reflected in her best friend's face. "Damon's the pathetic one. You just made the wrong choice. We all make them and we all have to learn from them. You'll get over this and you'll be stronger. Now come on, let's go in and I'll call Caro to come over to stay with us."

"No, Elena. I really need to be alone right now. I appreciate you wanting to stay, but I just can't do this right now. And this is Caro's big night; I won't ruin it for her, especially not because of Damon," Bonnie replied as she opened the car door.

"Bonnie, you don't need to be alone. If you don't want me or Caro, at least let me take you to Grams. You're hurting too much right now. Besides Damon can get in if he wants," Elena says.

"If I go to Grams in this condition, Damon is as good as barbequed. Damon won't physically hurt me Elena. That much I do know for sure. I really just want to be alone with my thoughts and pull myself together before I have to face everyone. Please, Elena. I need this time to myself," Bonnie pleaded.

Elena reluctantly agrees, "Okay, but you call me if you change your mind. I don't care what time it is." Elena reaches across the car to pull Bonnie into a hug, "I love you, Bonnie B. And I promise everything will get better."

Bonnie exits the car. Elena watches her friend drag herself into her house and knows Bonnie will spend the rest of the night crying her eyes out. Even knowing this, knowing how shattered the girl who had been her rock when her parents had died was, Elena couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied that Damon's attention would be coming back to her. Elena rested her head against the steering wheel as tears of embarrassment seeped from her closed eyes. "What's wrong with me? What kind of monster am I?" she whispers to herself. She wipes her tears, gives one last look at Bonnie's now lit window and pulls off.

**Later that night**

The figure looked at the beautiful young woman who is lying on the bed. Her eyes were swollen and the faint white streaks marring her milk chocolate cheeks gave evidence to the fact she had cried herself to sleep. Her gown was carelessly thrown on the floor and she hadn't bothered to put on any night clothes. She was dressed in nothing but a lacy strapless bra and matching underwear. Tendrils from her pinned up hair had escaped and were now cascading down her shoulders. Her breathing slow and deep, with the occasional whimper of sadness that made her watcher flinch, as if feeling her pain. She looked more breathtaking in this moment than she had at the Founder's Ball.

Damon crouched down beside Bonnie's bed and gently pushed a lock of hair from her face. Try as he might, he couldn't delete the image of Bonnie's heartbroken, betrayed face from his brain. He had never meant for tonight to go as far as it did. After his conversation with Stefan, Damon had retreated to his bedroom to sort out his thoughts and feelings.

He loved Katherine, he wanted Katherine, but Bonnie. He wanted Bonnie too. He didn't want to be without her, he didn't want her to even look at another man. Bonnie had managed to become as equally important to him as the woman he claimed was his soul mate. How had this happened? How could he have these deep intense feelings for two women? Or did he really have these feelings for two women? Were his feelings for Katherine still there or were they feelings he just remembered? Or were the feelings he had for Bonnie a by-product of their shared neglectful fathers and his watching over her? Which feelings were real?

Those thoughts were still in Damon's head as he watched, in crow form, Bonnie bawl herself to sleep. He knew she was deeply upset because she didn't feel his presence. He waited until he was sure she had gone to sleep before he had entered her window and shifted to his human form.

Now looking at her, Damon hated himself.

"I'm so sorry little witch. If there were another way to get her, I would do it, but only you can do this. I need her, as much as I care about you, I love Katherine. I have to love her, otherwise all the killing, maiming and destruction I've done for the last century and a half would have been for nothing, and I couldn't live with that. So I need Katherine to make all the misery worth it. Once I have her I swear I will never hurt you again," Damon whispered to the sleeping witch. He softly runs his finger over her cheek, barely touching it. After placing a light kiss on her forehead, Damon jumps to the window sill and takes flight.

As he circles the house a still sleeping Bonnie quietly says, "Damon."

**2 days later**

"Wake up sleepyhead," a cheerful voice said as Bonnie felt the sun's ray penetrate her eyes.

"Uggg, Caro, its spring break. Let me sleep," Bonnie groans as she puts a pillow over her head to block out the light.

"No way, you moped all day yesterday. Today is a new day and we are going for a spa day and some retail therapy," Caroline says.

Carol and Elena had stayed with Bonnie all day the previous day. The girls had held Bonnie as she cried, yelled and cursed Damon to hell. Elena had left for home, while Caro decided to stay over with Bonnie. Elena would be staying over tonight.

Bonnie finally sits up in bed and says, "I think Matt will need you more than I do today."

"What makes you say that?" Caro replies, not looking Bonnie in the eyes.

"Today would have been Vicky's birthday. Matt needs you, not me. Besides, I'm sure Elena will be dropping in to check on me. Believe me Caro, I'm not going to lock myself from the world because Damon doesn't return my feelings," Bonnie says.

"You sure? I don't want to leave you, but Mattie was so sad when I talked to him earlier," Caro said, her decision wavering.

"Yes I am. I promise I'll go get my massage and body wrap. I'm not going to hide anymore. There's a big world out there and I'm going to be a part of it. If this fiasco with Damon taught me nothing else, it taught me that I need to live my life for me. That I deserve to be loved and cherished," Bonnie answered the blonde.

"Well if that's how you feel, then I'm outta here. I love you, I'll call you later," Caro said as she exited the room.

Bonnie fell back against her pillow as she heard Caroline leave the house. She was miserable and as much as she loved them, she needed a break from their smothering. Caro and Elena meant well, but they couldn't possibly understand the open wound that was Bonnie's heart. Bonnie felt like burrowing under her covers and never seeing the light of another day again. But instead she rose from her bed and walked over to the mirror. She stared at her what was reflected back at her.

She was a strong, powerful witch. She had spent hours last night pouring over Emily's grimoire, as Caroline slept. The things she could learn, if she applied herself to the craft, astounded her. And learn she would. Never again would she be taken advantage of; never again would she allow someone to use her tender feelings against her. By no means did she think she was over Damon, but she would get there. Soon her love for the older Salvatore would be just a memory and she would find someone that truly loved and cared for her. She had been broken, but she was on the mend. She wasn't lying when she told Caro she was done hiding from the world. Bonnie Bennett was about to become the supreme witch that her ancestor predicted her to be.

"Alright Bonnie, this is the first day of the rest of your life. You are not going to let some snake like Damon ruin you for other guys. He's not worth it," Bonnie told her reflection.

Feeling better, Bonnie heads to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. She looks back at the mirror, pleased with her choice of a tank top, skinny jeans and ballet flats. She had sleeked her hair into a ponytail and applied some makeup, not too much, just enough to give her skin a glow. Standing at her dresser, she opens her jewelry box and notices Caroline had left her locket. Bonnie picks up the locket and is immediately swamped with visions of Stefan and a tall, slender red head. She sees images of them talking, embracing and kissing. She then sees fleeting glimpses of a wolf. Bonnie opens her eyes and looks around her room. She then stares down at the locket as one thought raced through her mind: What the hell did Stefan have to do with Caroline's locket?


	13. Chapter 13

**Let's make this a little interesting shall we. Whoever can tell me where the title of this chapter came from gets a preview of Chapter 14. You have to have complete details about where it came from. I'm only giving out previews if you review today, so hurry up. So here's what to do, I want you to leave a review and THEN PM ME WHERE THE TITLE CAME FROM. YOU MUST REVIEW AND ANSWER TO GET A PREVIEW. Without further ado, I give you Chapter 13.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own The Vampire Diaries, but I'm waiting patiently for the day that L.J Smith signs the rights over to me**

**Chapter 13-Lord, What Fools These (Im) Mortals Be**

Bonnie continued to stare at the locket in her hands. She wrapped her fist around it, trying to get another vision, but it didn't work. Bonnie collapsed in the chair at her desk and tried to make sense of what happened. From Caroline told her of the locket, it was a family heirloom given to one of her grandmothers by a fiancé. The visions that had floated through Bonnie's head showed Stefan and the mystery woman dressed as though they were in the distant past, post-Civil War era to be exact. Putting two and two together, Bonnie quickly realized what getting visions of Stefan from the locket meant. She also realized that this bit of information meant that Stefan had once again omitted a big part of his past from Elena. "So both Salvatore brothers are lying snakes," Bonnie thought bitterly.

"_Stefan, get your ass to my house, RIGHT NOW!" _Bonnie sent him telepathically.

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Stefan was startled by the urgency and rage in Bonnie's thought to him. He hadn't talked to her personally since the fateful night of the Founder's Ball. Elena had kept him informed of Bonnie's condition. Stefan had been preoccupied with his own thoughts of what to do about Damon's threat to tell Elena about Lisette and Caroline.

Damon hadn't outright threatened him again, but he had dropped enough hints for Stefan to take him seriously. His telling Bonnie the truth had resulted in a conundrum for himself. Getting Bonnie to open the tomb was not an option, so he had to tell Elena the truth. How exactly did one tell the woman he loved that he used to be engaged to one of the great grandmothers of one her best friends? Judging from Elena's reaction to just knowing about Lisette, she was not going to take this easily.

Stefan grabbed his keys and was headed out the door to go to Bonnie's when he heard his brother address him.

"Off to brood at Elena's so early? You know if you keep this up, I'm going to start thinking you're avoiding me," Damon said, his signature smirk ever present.

"It's none of your business where I'm going," Stefan replied as he opened the door.

"Have you talked to Bonnie yet?" Damon asked.

Stefan turned to his brother, anger shooting from his eyes. "No I haven't and I won't. Haven't you done enough to her? She's hurting Damon and I will not add to her pain by asking her to open the tomb. How could you have done it Damon? Bonnie really felt something for you and for a second there, I thought you felt something for her too. I thought you were really falling for her and that maybe there was some hope for you to be a decent person,"

"If you really thought that, why did you blow it all to hell by telling her she could open the tomb?" Damon said.

"Because it was all a lie! You've been doing it to me all our lives, and could not stand by and let you do it to an innocent girl who trusted you," Stefan yelled.

"Did you ever, for one second, consider that I may have started my relationship with Bonnie with ulterior motives, but those motives changed?" Damon asked.

"No Damon, I didn't. You want to know why?" Stefan said, following Damon into the living room.

"Please enlighten me, younger one," Damon said as he poured a drink.

"It's always going to be about Katherine with you. She comes first, even though she's been gone for 150 years. Everything you do goes back to what happened with her. She would be so proud of you; you are made in her image. Cruelty, deviousness, and mind games all wrapped up in an attractive package. You could have had something special with Bonnie, but you chose to throw it all away for the woman who ripped us apart. If you really wanted Bonnie, you would be at her house, begging her forgiveness, instead you're here, bickering with me and that tells me all I need to know about how you feel about her. Bye Damon," Stefan leaves out.

Damon sits down, drink in hand as he thinks over his brother's words. Little did his baby brother know, he had been to see his witch. Watching Bonnie as she had slept two nights ago had been heartbreaking for him. He could still see the dried tear tracks on her cheeks, hear the soft whimpers she had made in her sleep. Damon was as confused now as he had been that night. The feel of Bonnie in his arms was a high unlike anything he had ever experienced. But always in the back of his mind was Katherine. He and Katherine were going to rule the world. They were all each other needed. Bonnie just had to get her from the tomb and all would be well again. Once he had Katherine, they would leave this dump town and the little witch could start to heal.

Bennett House

Stefan raised his hand to knock on the door, before his fist could connect with the wood, Bonnie had opened the door. Before he could utter a word, Bonnie opened her own upraised, clinched fist and dangled Caroline's necklace in front of his eyes.

"Does this look familiar, Stefan?" Bonnie seethed.

Stefan cautiously stepped into the house and closed the door. "I believe that's Caroline's," he answered.

"It's Caroline's alright, but do you know who it belonged to before her?"

Stefan began to open his mouth to deny this, but Bonnie knew it was coming.

"Don't bother lying. I got an impression when I picked it up and do you want to know what I saw? I saw you kissing a red headed woman who I can only assume is Lisette; that would mean you used to be engaged to one of Caroline's grandmothers," Bonnie said.

Stefan realized there was no way he could get out of telling the truth. It was actually more of a relief that Bonnie had figured out the truth, now he could get her advice on what to do about Elena. She had just gotten over her jealousy of Lisette, she would probably never speak to him again once she found out about Lisette's connection to Caro. He didn't even want to think about her reaction to his deal with Emily. He had no doubt Damon would follow through on his threat to tell Elena the truth if Stefan didn't get Bonnie to open the tomb. Trying to convince Bonnie wasn't even an option to Stefan, so he had a deadline of less than two weeks to find a way to confess with minimal damage. "May as well start the confessional now," Stefan thought to himself.

"Sit down Bonnie, and I'll tell you everything," Stefan wearily replied.

"Everything, Stefan, for once you Salvatore brothers will not hold a detail back. I want to know the whole truth," Bonnie replied as they sat on her sofa.

"As you know I was engaged to Lisette before I met Katherine. It was actually Lisette who brought Katherine and Emily, to Mystic Falls. Lisette had gone to New York to visit relatives, she met Katherine and Emily and they became fast friends. Lisette invited Katherine to come to Mystic Falls for a visit and that's how she and Emily ended up here. What we didn't know was that Katherine brought more friends with her when she came," Stefan said.

"Other vampires," Bonnie whispered.

"Yes, but it was a while before they revealed themselves. Anyway, when they got back, Katherine and Emily moved into the boardinghouse. Katherine and Damon immediately got together, with me it was more innocent flirting. Soon the flirting became more intense, and I backed away. I didn't want her, Lisette was my whole world and I wasn't going to lose her; besides I would have never hurt Damon like that. As you can imagine that incensed Katherine, she wasn't used to being turned down. That's when she started compelling me to fall in love with her. The worst part was her compelling me to break up with Lisette. But at the time, I didn't realize what I had done to her, to us. After Katherine was locked away, we realized she had also been compelling Lisette to fall in love with and marry Reed Forbes, the sheriff at the time. By the time everything was over it was too late for Lisette and I, she was married and even though she didn't love him like she loved me, she couldn't break her wedding vows to him. So after I turned I went to see her one last time to try and convince her to run off with me, but she refused, so I left Mystic Falls. I didn't come back to Mystic Falls for a long time after that," Stefan finished, looking more somber than usual.

Bonnie digested the information. It was unbelievable that all this had happened and that she, Caroline and Elena were all connected to it. "Why did I see visions of a wolf?"

Stefan eyebrows shot to his hairline, "What?"

Bonnie immediately knew there was more to the story, "A wolf, Stefan. After I saw you and Lisette kissing, I saw images of a gray wolf. What did it mean?"

Stefan took a deep breathe, knowing all the truth would have to be told to Bonnie. "Lisette was a werewolf."

Bonnie clapped her hand over her open mouth and swallowed. Surely Stefan didn't say what she thought he did. "T-t-that's not possible. That would mean Caroline is -"

"A werewolf," Stefan said for her. "There is a reason Emily made me responsible for keeping her grimoire safe."

Bonnie rolled her eyes heavenward, "Let me guess, Damon wasn't the only one who made a deal with Emily."

"No he wasn't," Stefan said with a sad smile. "Lisette had a sister, Camille. Camille was actually more like Caroline than Lisette was; she was blonde, effervescent, proud, and a bit vain. Lisette had told me all about her were heritage. That's why when I found out Katherine was a vampire I wasn't as shocked as I should have been. Anyway, one night Camille transformed and someone saw her. This happened shortly after the council had found out about vampires. Needless to say when that person went to the council about the existence of werewolves all hell broke loose. They sent Gregory Lockwood, the mayor's son after Camille," Stefan said.

"Lockwood, as in Tyler Lockwood?" Bonnie asked.

"You, Elena and Caro aren't the only ones connect to this mess. The Lockwoods are up to their necks in it too. Camille killed Gregory, but not before he shot and killed her with a silver bullet. Lisette was livid, at that time the council didn't suspect her, because she rarely shifted, she preferred her human form. Lisette went after the mayor and bit him, making him a werewolf. By this time the vampires had been locked in the tomb, so I had transitioned and was free of Katherine's compulsion. When I found out what went on, I went to Emily. She bound Lisette's powers and those of her heirs. There was also something else. Werewolves are immortal, unless they are decapitated or shot with silver bullets, when Emily bound Lisette's powers, she also bound her immortality," Stefan finished explaining

Bonnie closed her eyes, trying to absorb the story Stefan had told her. It was unbelievable that both Tyler and Caroline were both werewolves. "Is Tyler a werewolf?"

"Yes, I'm not sure he knows though. He hasn't had his first shift, but it will probably happen soon. As for Caroline, her were powers are dormant. But she does still have some characteristics of a werewolf. She's agile, possessive, arrogant and incredibly perceptive," Stefan said.

"So is Tyler, now that you mention it. This is a mess. You do realize you have to tell Elena everything, I'm not keeping this a secret from her or Caroline," Bonnie stated.

"I was going to tell Elena soon. Damon was threatening to tell her himself, unless I could convince you to open the tomb. But I don't think Caroline should know," Stefan argued.

"Look, I'm tired of lying to Caroline. She has a right to know about all of this, it concerns her too. She needs to know how to protect herself," Bonnie replied. "I know people think she can't handle it, but you said yourself she has were characteristics. She's stronger than you think and she's far from stupid; she knows something is going on. I'm not going to lie to her anymore. I'm telling her the whole truth, including what happened with Damon."

"If you think its best then go ahead. I don't know what I'm going to do about Elena though, she's going to hate me," Stefan brooded.

"Yea, she's going to be pissed, but the sooner you tell her, the sooner she'll get over it. And you need to tell her before Damon has the chance. If she hears it from anyone other than you, then she'll never forgive you," Bonnie answered him.

"You're right. I'd better go," Stefan said rising from the couch.

"Why did you do it Stefan? Why did you tell me the truth about Damon the way you did?" Bonnie asked before she could stop herself.

"I was just trying to protect you, I didn't want to hurt you, but you needed to know what Damon was up to," Stefan answered.

"I get that, and I appreciate it. But there was more to it than that. You could have easily pulled me aside at the Ball or at school and told me. You told me in front of Damon to prove a point," Bonnie said.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Stefan said.

"Stefan you're not dumb. You have to let Damon know that you'll always find out his plans; that you will always be around to protect "innocents" from him. You always claim Damon wants to make your life miserable, but you want to do the same to him. Why is that?" Bonnie questioned.

"He knew what Katherine was doing to me and Lisette. He let her destroy my life and did nothing to stop her. I know Father was hard on him, but what did I ever do to Damon to deserve what he allowed Katherine to do to me? So yes, I'm always going to keep a close eye on Damon and maybe I do look to humiliate him, but he took everything from me by letting that bitch brainwash me" Stefan admitted.

"You and Damon need to work out your issues with each other. Otherwise you two will never be happy. You will always ruin Damon's happiness and he will always ruin yours. The sad thing is, the two of you love each other. He will never admit it, but Damon would give his eternal life to protect you and you would do the same for him. Whatever happens between you two, just leave me out of it," Bonnie said.

"For what it's worth, I really think he does care for you, I was just too caught up in finding out the truth to really see it," Stefan confessed.

"It doesn't matter if he cares about me; he loves Katherine, he wants Katherine. I was just a means to an end." Bonnie said sadly.

"My brother is an idiot," Stefan said as he walked out the door.

Bonnie closed the door and slid to the floor, pulling out her cell phone.

"Hey, Caroline," she said as her friend answered her phone.

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

Damon was sitting in the library reading a book when the bell rang. He went to the door and opened it.

"Stefan is out eating Bambi's mom, Elena," Damon said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not here to see Stefan, I'm here for you," Elena said as she walked by him and into the house.


	14. Chapter 14

**First and foremost, let me APOLOGIZE for you having to wait so long for an update. I promise I will try to do better. But as you know life happens and it happened to me in a big way over the last months since I had a chance to update. My co-teacher at work quit, leaving me to do all the work in my classroom. Then my cousin was shot to death across the street from my great-grandmother's home. The good news is I have a new co-teacher and my great-grandmother is handling everything as well as can be expected. **

**Thank you so much for your reviews and thanks to those that played along with my little question. The title of the last chapter was a quote from , _A Midsummer's Night Dream which _is one of my favorite works by William Shakespeare, if you haven't read it, I really recommend it. I know he's hard to read, but get the version that translates Old English into Modern English in the margins. If you really can't read it, watch the movie with Calista Flockhart, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Kevin Kline. Another good Shakespeare play is _Much Ado About Nothing. _The movie version of that stars Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branaugh, Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington, and Michael Keaton. Hope I put something on your reading or movie lists.**

**Now another game for a preview: There is a name in boldface in the text of the story. Tell me the relevance of the use of that name. Same format as before, inbox me the answer and you will get a preview of next chapter.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries, if I did I would Nina Dobrev would be Katherine all the time and Elena would fall of the face of the planet. (Honestly, I love Nina, but I hate the way they sometimes write Elena as a syrupy, sickeningly sweet damsel in distress in need of being rescued, all the time. When she's Katherine she lights up the screen with her wackiness. Am I alone in that opinion?)**_

_**Chapter 14 -You Can't Handle the Truth**_

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

Damon closed the door and followed Elena into the living room. "What can I help you with my dear, sweet Elena," Damon said as he took a seat on the sofa.

"Why did you do it, Damon? Why did you lead Bonnie on, knowing you feel nothing for her?" Elena demanded.

"I don't have to explain anything to you, Elena. What happened between me and the witch is between me and her," Damon snarled.

Elena was at a loss for words. She couldn't believe that Damon refused to discuss his relationship with Bonnie with her. She was his friend, the only person who believed there was good in him. He had destroyed Bonnie's belief in him, now she was the only person he could turn to, and Elena would make him see that.

"You don't have to explain it to me. I already know. You used her to try to get in the tomb. But you also used her for another reason. You used her to get to me. You thought that by going after my best friend, I would get jealous and fall into your arms," Elena blurted out indignantly.

"What the hell are you smoking, Elena?" Damon laughed. "What happened between me and **Samantha **has nothing to do with you. I wanted to get in the tomb, and I needed Bonnie to accomplish it."

"Stop lying Damon! You've been trying to get me into your bed every since you met me and saw my likeness to Katherine. You didn't have to get Bonnie to fall for you to try and get her to open that tomb. You could have just tried to be her friend or blackmail her. You tried to seduce her to make me jealous. Just admit it."

"I can't believe it, you're really jealous about me and Bonnie. You believe that I did all those things to get with you. You really are like Katherine." Damon said, astounded by how like Katherine Elena was turning out to be.

"I'm nothing like Katherine and I'm not jealous. What could I possibly be jealous of, Bonnie meant nothing to you, you just used her to get a reaction out of me," Elena sneered.

"Elena, if you can't be honest with me, at least be honest with yourself," Damon said. "We may not know how, but believe me when I say you are definitely related to Katherine Pierce.

Damon walked over to where Elena was standing and leaned in closer to her, his breath grazing her ear. "How did you really feel when you walked in on me and Bonnie on her couch that morning? Because I don't think you were upset that I would do something to her, I think you were pissed because it wasn't you I was comforting. It wasn't you I was holding close. And it most definitely wasn't you I was kissing the other night. That's what's got you so hot and bothered about me and my witch, the fact that I haven't been sniffing around you lately."

"You're delusional," Elena whispered, even as she leaned in closer to Damon. Even as that dark part of herself screamed that he was right. She was jealous of the attention he was giving Bonnie; the attention she was used to having for herself. She tried to stop herself, but she felt that she had to remind Damon of what he really wanted, rose on her toes and pressed her lips against Damon's.

Damon was startled when he felt Elena's lips on his, he was just trying to egg her on, he had no intention of making any real move on her. He had enough woman troubles on his plate with Bonnie and Katherine. But he couldn't help but compare the kiss of his brother's girlfriend to the one he had shared with her best friend and the woman who shared her face. With Bonnie, he felt felt her power, tasted her innocence and passion; with Katherine he devoured the wickedness of her maniacal plotting that she put into the kisses she gave him, they had reveled in her deviousness; with Elena there was nothing, no spark, no hint of pleasure in kissing the girl who his brother loved, the only thing he felt was her desperation to be the center of attention.

Damon pulled away from Elena and looked toward the doorway. Elena followed his gaze and nearly passed out at the sight of Stefan standing there.

**Bennett House**

"Bon, I'm here," Caroline said as she entered the house. Bonnie had said it was urgent that she come back to the house. Caroline had shared a quick lunch with Matt, who was handling his "missing" sister's birthday as well as could be expected. Actually Caro was glad Bonnie had called. Kelly Donovan had made her way back to Mystic Falls and was once again relying on her son to take care of her. Kelly had also made it very clear to Caro that she would never accept her as a suitable replacement for Elena. Putting on the understanding face through the constant barbs and put downs had been grating on Caro's nerves and she was on the verge of raking Kelly's eyes out when Bonnie's phone call had rescued her. It was strange the rage she had felt toward Kelly, Caroline had never felt that angry before, it was as if something was trying to burst out of her and take Kelly down. Caroline just shook her head and chalked it up to Kelly Donovan's "sparkling" personality.

"Caro, thanks for coming back so soon. Sorry to drag you away from Mattie," Bonnie said coming from the kitchen.

"It's cool. Matt's taking care of his mother," Caro said, adding air quotes to the word mother.

"She's back in town," Bonnie said as they sat on the living room sofa.

"Yep, and drunker than ever," Caroline said, leaning her head back against the back of the sofa, closing her blue eyes. "She's also made it crystal clear that I will never measure up to the all perfect Elena."

"Oh, Caroline. I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay, now tell me what was so urgent that I needed to haul ass back here."

Bonnie opened her palm to reveal Caroline's locket. "You left this here," she said as Caroline lifted it.

"I'm such a blonde, thanks for taking care of it for me. My dad would have killed me if I lost it. But you could have told me this in a text, Bonnie," Caroline said, confused.

"That's not all. Do you remember me telling you I'm a witch?" Bonnie questioned.

"Oh, not this again."

"Yes, this again. It's true Caro, I'm a witch. Here I'll prove it," Bonnie said. She then proceeded to lift the necklace with her mind.

"H-h-how did you do that?" Caroline asked.

"I told you that, twice now. I'm a witch Caroline. A real life Charmed One" Bonnie said.

"This is too much to process," Caroline said as she slid from the couch onto the floor.

"Caroline, there is so much more than that," Bonnie said as she sat down in front of her friend. She then proceeded to tell Caroline the truth about Damon, Stefan, Katherine, Emily, the Lockwoods and the town Council.

"Wow, I can't believe this. It's like a twisted version of the Wizard of Oz. Vampires, witches and weres, oh my," Caroline said, trying to make light, but Bonnie could tell that she was on edge. "And Damon hypnotized me to forget the things he had done to me."

"Yeah, I'm sorry that we didn't tell you then. But you already thought Elena and I were playing a joke on you when we told you I was a witch the first time, and we just thought it would be better if you just forgot. We made sure to give you the vervain and kept you and Damon as far away from each other as possible. It was actually easier because you hated Damon even though you didn't remember him hurting you."

"Then you let him hurt you and I encouraged you to go after him," Caroline replied.

"That was not your fault. I knew what Damon was, and I still fell for him. But that's neither here nor there. This is about you and how you're feeling about all of this."

"I'm still finding it hard to believe, but there's too much evidence for me to not believe it. I just want to know why now, why are you telling me all this now?"

"Because there's more and it has to do with you. You, and Stefan's ex-fiancee Lisette Chamberlain-Forbes."

"Forbes, as in my family. Are you telling me that Stefan was involved with a member of my family?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, he was engaged before the whole mess with Katherine started. Long story short, Katherine compelled Stefan and Lisette to break their engagement, when Katherine was locked away the compulsion faded, but by that time your great-grandmother had married someone else and refused to leave him for Stefan. Stefan went to Emily, my great-grandmother, and struck a deal to bind the powers of Lisette and her descendents to protect them from the Council" Bonnie said.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what kind of powers?" Caroline said quietly.

"Lisette was a werewolf," Bonnie answered.

"Th-ht-that would mean, I'm..."

"A werewolf, but your powers are dormant because of Emily's spell," Bonnie finished.

"Okay, just so I have everything straight. You're a witch; Damon and Stef are vampires; Tyler and I are werewolves, but my powers are dormant because Stefan asked your great-grandmother to put a spell on mine to bind her powers; Elena looks like some vampire chick that Damon's been obsessed for nearly a century and a half and he used you to try and get her out of a tomb that your great-grandmother sealed her in. On top of that my mom and most of the founding families belong to some secret occult hunting club. Is that about it?" Caroline asked in a dazed voice.

Bonnie smile a wry little smile, "That would be the Cliff's Notes version."

Caroline looked at Bonnie, smiled and then proceeded to fall into a dead faint on the floor.

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

Elena pushed away from Damon and made her way to Stefan. "Stefan please..."she said.

"I don't want to hear it Elena, I don't want to hear your excuses or lame explanations," Stefan said as he walked away from her.

"It wasn't like that Stefan, he..."

"I was standing there a long time Elena, long enough to see you initiate the kiss, so don't even try to tell me Damon kissed you. Not only did you kiss him, but he was the one who pushed you away," Stefan said, cutting off Elena's lie.

"Finally, some credit," Damon said from behind the bar, as he poured himself a drink, anticipating the show that was about to begin.

"Shut up Damon. This is all your fault, if you hadn't taken advantage of Bonnie none of this would be happening," Elena yelled.

"Don't you mean if he hadn't been spending all of his time with Bonnie, and had been flirting and talking to you instead," Stefan sneered.

"No, I don't mean that. I love you Stefan. The kiss was a mistake, something that happened in the heat of the moment," Elena replied. "It meant nothing to me, absolutely nothing."

"That makes two of us, because I would felt more giving mouth to mouth to a dead fish," Damon said in the background.

"Shut the hell up you asshole," Elena said, crying now.

"Don't blame him for this Elena. It's been coming for a long time now. You are just like Katherine. You want to have me and Damon. It doesn't work like that Elena. Damon and I may not be alive, but we are human and we have feelings, despite Damon's protests otherwise," Stefan said dejectedly, as he tried to walk away.

"I'm sorry, Stefan. Please don't walk away from me, from us. We can get through this we can.."

"Can we get through the fact that Lisette was Caroline's great-grandmother?" Stefan said, his anger and hurt making him blurt out the truth.

"What did you just say?" Elena asked, stunned.

"He said he used to be engaged to Blondie's great whatever grandmother. And let me tell you, Lisette was a real hottie," Damon said wriggling his eyebrows.

"And she was a werewolf. I had Emily bind her powers and those of her lineage," Stefan said, staring at Elena coldly.

Elena was in a total state of shock. Stefan being engaged was hard enough, but to find out that he was connected to Caroline, was too much.

"Another lie Stefan. Does Caro look just like this Lisette or am I the only mirror image walking around town?"

"Caroline looks nothing and is nothing like Lisette. You on the other hand look and act just like Katherine. Oh, you cover it up really well under a coat of sweetness and charm, but underneath you want to be the center of everyone's world and what anyone else's wants or needs comes second to your own," Stefan said, voice steadily rising. He wanted to leave, but his need to express the words that had been forming inside him lately got the better of him. He looked over Elena one last time and again tried to leave.

"No, you can't leave like this," Elena said grabbing his arm.

"Get the hell away from me," Stefan yelled, eyes turning black with purple veins appearing. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Just stay away from me Elena, you and I are done." Using his vampire speed he left the house.

Elena tried in vain to stop Stefan. She ran to the doorway and tearfully, yelled at the blur disappearing into the forest. "Stefan, come back. I love you Stefan. I'm sorry, so sorry. Don't leave me."


	15. Chapter 15

I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. Work has been hell and writer's block is no joke. You have no idea how long I've been working on this chapter, but I plowed through it and hopefully you like the result. I hope it will be smooth sailing from here on out and I will try to complete the story by the end of the summer, because I have the summer off. So I will be working diligently on this story. Thanks for the love and support.

Thanks also to all who participated in trivia question that went with the last update. Yes the name Samantha refers to "Bewitched" which is one my favorite classic TV shows, along with "I Dream of Jennie" I guess I have an obsession with all things supernatural.

**Disclaimer: You know if I owned this Damon would have NEVER said "I love you" to Elena**

**Chapter 15: Keep Your Friends Close and Your Frienemies Closer**

Bonnie raced from the kitchen with a glass of water for Caroline. As she entered the living room Caro was slowly pulling herself up on the couch.

"Be careful Caro. God, I should have listened to Stefan. This is too much for you to handle at once," Bonnie said as she forced the water into Caroline's hand.

"No, no, Bon. I'm glad you told me. It finally explains all the weirdness of the past few months. You were-" Caroline's words were cut off by a banging at Bonnie's front door.

"Who the hell could that be?" Bonnie said as she went to answer it.

Bonnie opened the door to find a dejected Stefan.

"Stefan what's wrong?" she said ushering him into the living room.

Stefan let Bonnie and Caroline lead him to the couch, where he slumped down. He felt as though his whole world had collapsed around him. He kept replaying the last months with Elena; months were little things about her started to remind him of Katherine and not in a good way. And then today, walking in on her kissing Damon. It was like she had been taken over by Katherine's spirit. But deep down Stefan knew that this was a real side of Elena coming out, he had just chosen to ignore that part of her for so long.

"Stef, please say something. Is it Elena? Did something happen?" Caroline asked after they had sat in silence for about 5 minutes.

"Elena kissed Damon," he said.

"No, that's impossible. Elena would never kiss Damon. Damon probably set her up so that you two would fight," Bonnie said, shaking her head negatively.

"It wasn't like that Bonnie," Stefan related the conversation he had overheard. "Elena initiated the kiss and Damon pushed her away," he finished.

"Why would she do that? Why would she want hurt you and me like that?" Bonnie said as tears filled her eyes.

"Because it's who she really is," Caroline said, finally speaking up. "You remember how she was growing up Bonnie. Everything had to be about her. Any guy you or I showed the slightest interest in, she had to have for herself."

Stefan looked at Caroline, shocked by the bitterness in the words she had spoken about her friend.

"Oh, it's true; before her parents died she was a first class bitch. She seemed to have settled down and changed, but I guess leopards don't change their spots. I'm not surprised that she would go after Damon even though she's with you, but the fact that she's hurt Bonnie, that's a new low for her."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Stefan said. "Did you guys talk yet?"

Bonnie snapped out of her silent thoughts of Elena's deception to answer Stefan "Uh, yeah. Caro knows the truth. I think she probably has some questions that you can answer better than I," Bonnie answered still shell-shocked about Elena.

As Stefan was about to open his mouth, the sound of The Lion King's "Hakuna Matata" blares from Bonnie's phone. Knowing who has that personal ringtone, Bonnie answers it as Caro failed to grab the phone from her.

"Hi, Elena," Bonnie says, surprised at how calm her voice is.

"Bonnie, I'm so glad you're home. Stefan just broke up with me, I need you. I'm on my way there right now," Elena bawled into the phone.

"Why would he do that Elena? Did you do something?" Bonnie asked.

"It's all a big misunderstanding Damon twisted everything and he kissed me, knowing Stefan was there. So know Stefan thinks-"

"I know exactly what Stefan thinks. Stefan is here with me and Caroline right now. And he just told me what really happened. God, do you think I'm a complete idiot?" Bonnie screams. "How could you? Damon, no matter how angry I am at him, I still love him. On top of everything else, I have to deal with you kissing him and telling him that he never wanted me, but it's always been about you."

"Bon-Bonnie, Stefan mistook what I said, what I did. I'm sorry; I never meant to hurt you or Stefan. I love you both. It's just that Damon, he's messed up everything," Elena said.

"No, Elena. There's a lot of blame to be laid on Damon, but not this. How could you? I don't know who you are anymore," Bonnie retorted. "I really thought you had grown up, that you had changed from the selfish, self-centered person you were. But I was so wrong; I always knew there was a possibility that Damon would hurt me. I never expected this from you, Elena. I thought you were my sister, but sisters don't break each other like this."

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie. Please just let me come over? I'll explain and make this up to you, I swear. Plus Stefan told me some other stuff, about Caroline and we need-"

"I already told her about Lisette and her being a werewolf," Bonnie said.

"You knew and you didn't tell me," Elena responded.

"I just found out, and when I did I told Stefan to tell you right away or I would. While you were busy kissing the man I love behind my back, I was protecting yours" Bonnie then hung up the phone, not wanting to hear Elena's voice anymore.

Stefan, who had overheard the entire conversation, gave the young witch a hug, realizing that like him, she had been more hurt by Elena than anything Damon had done.

**Elena's car**

Elena pulled to the side of the road. She had been on her way to Bonnie's, but after that conversation, she knew if Bonnie laid eyes on her, she would be charcoal. Not that Elena could blame her friend, she was so wrong and she knew it. How could she have kissed Damon? How could she have hurt Stefan like that? And now on top of that she had to deal with Caroline, the werewolf. She needed to talk to someone, and she knew just the person. She started the car and made her way over to the one person she knew would never turn her away, regardless of what she had done.

**Bonnie's house**

Stefan and Bonnie sat in silence, each contemplating Elena and Damon. They had convinced Caroline that they were okay and the blonde beauty had left to go see Matt with a promise of returning to sleep over with Bonnie.

"You know, this is going to be my worse birthday, EVER," Bonnie said.

Stefan looked over and smiled sadly at the young witch, "Bonnie, I'm sorry. If I had just stayed away from Mystic Falls-"

"Damon would have come anyway. He wants Katherine out of that tomb in the worse way. None of this is your fault Stefan. I knew falling for Damon was a gigantic risk with my heart and I took it anyway. I'm just sorry for what Elena did to you."

"You would think I would know better than to fall for someone who looks just like Katherine," Stefan responded.

"Okay enough of this pity party. I'm not letting Damon and Elena ruin this day for me. So, you and I are going to the Grille for some lunch, I have an intense craving for a big juicy burger and cheese fries."

"Alright," Stefan says, following Bonnie out of the door.

**The Grille**

Elena walked over to where Matt was cleaning a table.

"Elena, what's wrong?" Matt says, alarmed when he noticed she had been crying.

"Oh, Matt everything is wrong. Stefan and I broke up, Bonnie won't talk me and I don't know what to do" Elena said between sobs.

Matt took Elena in his arms and yelled out that he was taking his break as lead her over to a secluded corner of the restaurant. "Elena, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think, tell me what happened," he said.

"Well, Damon had a little crush on me and he was trying to get involved with Bonnie. I confronted him about it and we kissed," Elena explained.

"Elena, what were you thinking?" Matt replied.

"I know, I wasn't thinking. I never meant for that to happen. Anyway Stefan walked in and he said we were done and then he went Bonnie's and told her. She's so mad at me. I didn't have anyone one else to talk to, so I came here. You have to believe that would never intentionally hurt Stefan and Bonnie. It was a stupid mistake. It was just a little kiss, it meant nothing to me."

Matt sighed, "I believe you, Lena," he said, taking her into another hug and planting a small kiss on her head.

Caroline walked into The Grille and scanned the crowed for her boyfriend. She had tried to talk him out of working today, but he said work kept his mind of Vicki and got him away from his mom. She spotted him a small corner, holding Elena close. Caroline couldn't believe the scene in front of her. Rage coursed through her veins, a rage she now understood better than before, and she was grateful to Bonnie's ancestor for binding her powers, otherwise she would be in total wolf attack mode by now. She marched over the former couple.

"Hi guys," she said coldly. "What's up?"

"Caro, I thought you were with Bonnie, talking," Elena said, pulling away from Matt.

"I was, I just came to check on Matt. But I see he's busy. Don't worry Bonnie and Stefan are handling your betrayal well. When I left the house Bonnie had finally stopped crying and Stefan was actually speaking," Caroline said, anger still boiling in her belly.

"Caroline," Matt said.

"Don't even try to defend her. She kissed Damon, knowing how Bonnie feels about him and how Stefan feels about her. She is not the one who needs comforting," Caroline retorted.

"Caroline, you don't understand-," Elena started.

"I understand more than you think. You never wanted Damon and Bonnie together, even when it was obvious both of them had feelings for each other. You wanted Damon's attention all on you because you loved knowing he wanted you. You loved having both Salvatore brothers at your beck and call. Sounds suspiciously like another story Bonnie told me today," Caroline said, telling Elena in code she knew all about Katherine. Elena, realizing she had no support coming for Caro, took off to the bathroom.

"Caroline, what the hell was that about? I know what she did was bad, but did you have to be so harsh? She feels awful enough as it is." Matt said.

"Are you kidding me? Bonnie loves Damon and he ripped her heart out, and instead of slapping him down for hurting her best friend, Elena was trying to lock lips with him. The only good thing that happened was asshole Damon actually pulled away from her," Caroline replied, still seething.

"You're wrong, Damon is the one who kissed Elena."

"I don't believe this. If she told you the sky was green, you wouldn't even question it would you? I don't know why I'm even trying with you anymore. It's always going to be Elena with you," Caroline said.

"Oh please not that again. We've been through this. I'm over Elena, I want to be with you. I just don't think you should believe Damon over Elena," Matt said.

"I wouldn't believe a word from Damon, but I trust Stefan. He saw and heard everything that happened between Elena and Damon. He is the one who told me and Bonnie what really happened. You don't even know what she said about Bonnie. She hurt her, Matt. After everything Bonnie has done for Elena, she kissed the man she loves behind her back and basically said Bonnie meant nothing to him. That's what your dear, perfect Elena did and that's the truth," Caro told him.

"Caro, you've known Elena your whole life and you've know Stefan all of five minutes. Isn't possible that-,"

"You're 100% right, I have known Elena my entire life, which is how I know this is true. I can't talk to you about this anymore. I wish you would defend me like you defend her," Caroline interrupted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Matt questioned.

"It means you stood there while your mother ripped me to shreds with her backhanded comments today. It means I know where I stand with you when compared to Elena," Caroline said, tears forming.

"C'mon Caroline, you know how my mom is. She just likes Elena, she doesn't really know you."

"Yeah, but would you have let say the things she said to me to Elena? And then I come in here and you have her cradled in your arms like some sort of victim. She knew to come to you Matt, because no matter what you will believe and comfort her because there is some part of you that still hopes she'll come back to you," Caroline said as she ignored Matt calling her name and hurried into the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom, Caroline spotted Elena washing her face in the mirror.

"Caroline, please-," Elena started.

"Shut up, I don't want to hear it. How dare you? Bonnie has been nothing but a true friend to you. Then you come running to Matt for comfort after you did something wrong. Well I have something to tell you princess. Stay the hell away from my man. You let him go, and that's not a mistake I'm going to make. I love Matt, I've loved him for a very long time. But you know that, because I told you the first day sophomore year that I was crushing on him and in typical Elena fashion you went after him," Caroline all but hissed at Elena.

Whatever was Elena was going to say was cut off by Bonnie arriving in the bathroom. Bonnie sensed she had walked in on tense moment between her friends. She ignored Elena and addressed Caro.

"Caro, Matt said you were upset and sent me in to check on you. Stefan and I had just come for some lunch, but we can take it to go and head back to my place," Bonnie said.

"Sounds great, I'll wait in the car," Caro said leaving.

"Bonnie, I'll come to. I'll explain everything to you and Stefan. I'm so sorry," Elena pleaded.

"Not now, Elena. Maybe later, but I can't talk to you right now. What you did, what you said, hurt more than anything Damon did. I need time to process this and to see if our friendship can be saved," Bonnie said, walking out of the bathroom.

Elena hurried behind her, only to stop in her tracks when she saw Stefan.

"Stef, I'm going to wait in the car with Caro, the food will be out in about 10 minutes," Bonnie said, anxious to get away from Elena.

"Stefan, you have to listen to me. I love you, I want to be with you," Elena said.

"You're a real piece of work. Running to Matt for comfort, like people wronged you. Did you even consider Caroline's feelings? She already feels insecure about Matt's feelings for her, but you never once thought about that did you? You just wanted someone to say you didn't do anything wrong, regardless of the fact that you did," Stefan spat. "Why don't you go back to Damon, he's not getting Katherine out anytime soon, so he'll need some companionship. Oh that's right, he doesn't actually want you."

Elena watched in tears as Stefan got the order and headed for the door, never once looking back.

**Bonnie's house-later that night**

Caroline came downstairs, not surprised to see Stefan sitting on the couch, instead of the guest room Bonnie had appointed him to

.

"Can't sleep either, huh," she said taking a seat beside him.

"No, I just keep seeing Elena kissing Damon every time I close my eyes. I tried to hold everything in for Bonnie's sake today, but now I have to the reality of what Elena did. How about you? You seem to be handling finding out about you ancestry pretty well," Stefan said.

"Well, I knew something weird was going on. I mean really, how many animal attacks can happen in one town?" Caroline said, trying to invoke a little humor. "If you're up to it, I do have some questions about Lisette."

"Fire away, it'll help keep my mind focused on something other than Elena."

"Well first of all, Bonnie said the Lockwood's were werewolves, and that weres are immortal, but I know Tyler's grandfather died of a heart attack. How is that possible?" Caro questioned.

"Tyler's grandfather isn't really dead. He's living in California, like most weres and vampires, he faked his death to avoid answering any questions. He also probably applied make up to make himself appear older. Also, the man you knew as David Lockwood, is actually the man I knew as George Lockwood."

"What!" Caroline screamed.

"He's still alive, werewolves like vampires, fake their deaths so that people won't questions their lack of aging. Sooner or later Tyler's parents will do the same, as will Tyler eventually."

"Tyler's mom is a werewolf?" Caroline asked

"If Richard bonded with her, then she was turned, I don't know for sure, but it seems likely. When werewolves bond, if one of them is human, then usually the were will turn that person, so that they can live forever. However there is a downside, if the werewolf is ever killed, then the mate that they turned will die also."

"This is all so crazy, but strangely I believe it. I should be freaking out right now, but it's like I've always known there was some other part of me that was trying to get out," Caroline said.

"For what it's worth, I think you're handling this great, especially since you've only known for 12 hours."

"Yea well I don't think Matt will agree with you. He still mad and me and won't answer my calls and text me that he thinks I need time to settle down before we can have a rational conversation. So as usual I'm being unfair to Elena and jealous for no reason," Caroline responded sarcastically.

"Matt will see the truth about Elena one day, I did. It's just hard to reconcile the selfish part of her with the other side of her personality, that is so giving and wonderful," Stefan said.

"I know how it is. Bonnie and I have had years to deal with Elena. Just when I think I'm done with our friendship, she does something to make me realize how much she means to me. But this time, I don't know if I can get passed it," Caro said shaking her head. "Anyway, I don't want to dwell on this. You sir are going to help me plan the party of the year. We are going to give Bonnie an eighteenth birthday to remember."

**Bonnie's room**

"_More," Bonnie whined, feeling hot and aroused._

"_Ask and you shall receive," Damon said as he continued to maneuver himself inside and over her body. Her writhing, petite body giving him pleasure as no other woman ever had. She was so tight, hot, and all his. _

_Bonnie felt him filling, claiming what she willingly surrendered. She could barely stand the inferno he was causing inside and outside of her body. She felt as if she would explode at any moment. "Damon, oh God, Damon," she moaned._

"_That's right baby, I can feel you. You're almost there. Come for me, little witch. Come just for me," he commanded, as he nipped at her neck, feeling her tight canal clench all around him. He grabbed her hands and lifted them above her head, lacing his fingers to his. _

_Bonnie trailed her hands down to Damon's butt, grasping his tight rear, pushing him deeper inside of her. Damon hissed as her nails dug in, and his fangs slid out. _

"_Look at me," he ordered._

_Bonnie opened her green eyes, and looked directly into Damon's, now black orbs. She reached up and ran her fingers over the sinister, purplish lines of his face. "I love you, all of you Damon," she said. He rammed into on last time feeling her orgasm wash over him, setting off his own._

Bonne sat up in the bed, body glistening. She didn't have to touch herself to know that the same earth-shattering orgasm she had in her dream had happened in reality. She jumped out of bed and opened her window, to help cool her sensitized body. Even in her dreams she couldn't escape her love for Damon.

Over at the Salvatore house, Damon awoke and wondered how the best lovemaking of his life, happened while he was asleep.

**One week later**

"What's this?" Elena demanded as Caroline opened the door to her home.

"Hello to you to Elena," Caroline said, allowing the irate brunette entrance. "To answer your question, it looks like the invitation to Bonnie's party at the Lockwood mansion."

"That's what I thought. Why wasn't I given one? I had to find out about this from some random freshman who asked me if I was going. Like I would miss my best friend's party."

"Look, Elena I just want Bonnie to have a good time. The last few weeks have been harder than you know on her. And having you at her party would defeat that purpose," Caroline explained.

"This is so typical of you Caroline. Bonnie and I have a fight and you swoop right in. I'm sure you filled her head with all kinds of tales about our little fight over Matt and what kind of evil person I am for kissing Damon."

"I didn't have to tell Bonnie anything about you Elena, your actions spoke for themselves. As for Matt, I didn't tell her anything because she has enough to deal with, without me putting more on her plate. Besides there is nothing to tell her, Matt is with me and that's where he's going to stay," Caroline said, her calm voice at war with the anger inside of her.

"Caroline, I know I was wrong for what I did and said. And you were right when you said I run to Matt because I know he will always be there for me. But this is Bonnie's birthday, I haven't missed party for her in our whole life, please don't make me miss one now. I'm begging you Caro, let me come, even if it's only to drop off her present," Elena said with tears.

Try as she might, Caroline couldn't forget the years of friendship she, Bonnie and Elena had shared. She also realized that although, Bonnie was still angry at Elena, she would want Elena there. She knew that Bonnie had been communicating with Elena through text, but had yet to talk to her face to face, but in time Bonnie would eventually forgive Elena.

"Alright, but if it upsets Bonnie in any way, you're gone."

"Yea, thanks. Umm, is there anything I can do to help with the decorating or food?" Elena asked.

"No, everything is taken care of. Her dad gave us cart blanche with his credit cards because he'll be out of town, per his usual. We have plenty of help. I hate to cut this short, but I'm meeting Bonnie at the mall to pick out her dress for the party," Caroline said, opening the front door.

"Oh, maybe…,"Elena started to say.

"You got an invite to the party, don't push your luck," Caroline says, anticipating Elena's statement about going to mall.

"Thanks again. Tell Bon I said hi and good luck finding a dress. Bye," Elena said exiting the house.

As she closed the door, Caroline couldn't help the feeling of dread overtaking her body.

**Two weeks later-Bonnie's birthday and party**

**Salvatore Boardinghouse**

"Where are you going so dressed up?" Damon said, knowing full well Stefan was going to Bonnie's party.

"Don't wait up brother," Stefan said, ignoring Damon's question and walking out the door.

Damon sat on the couch our exhaled. Bonnie's birthday. The one, last chance he had to get Katherine would be gone in less than 6 hours. Funny he hadn't thought about Katherine much these last two weeks, but instead had focused on the vivid, erotic dreams that had dominated his sleep; dreams in which Bonnie had played a starring role.

Damon got up and went to the bar and poured a glass of scotch. He downed the drink in one gulp and reached down to grab the brightly wrapped box from behind the bottles of the bar. He then left the house with one destination in mind: the Lockwood mansion.

**The Lockwood mansion**

"Caro, everything is perfect. I can't thank you enough," Bonnie said, wrapping her arms around her friend.

"Not a problem. Besides it wasn't all me, the boys helped too. And don't forget, your dad let me go nuts with his money," Caroline said.

"Hey girls, people are starting to arrive," Jeremy said, coming into the room, with Stefan following behind him. "You look great, Bon."

Bonnie did a twirl, showing off the black and gold dress she and Caroline had painstakingly picked out the week before. "Thanks, Jer…" Bonnie said, the rest of her statement cut off by a soft knock at the door.

Elena stood in the doorway, nervously playing with the ribbon on the neatly wrapped present. "Happy Birthday, Bonnie," she said.

Everyone stared at Bonnie, awaiting her reaction to seeing Elena. Caroline, Stefan and Jeremy were determined to make Bonnie's birthday party the happiest she had ever had even if they had to kill Damon and Elena to do it. There were groundless as Bonnie smiled at Elena and said "thanks."

Bonnie walked over and gave Elena a hug. "I know we have a lot to talk about, but tonight I just want to have a good time. So let's go downstairs and party," Bonnie said, walking out of the room.

Elena waited until everyone had gone and grabbed Stefan, who was the last person. "Stefan, please talk to me," she pleaded.

"You heard Bonnie, tonight is about having a good time. That's not something I can do with you right now. We'll talk some other time Elena. I am not saying we'll get back together, but we do need to talk," Stefan said and then walked away from her.

Later that night, Bonnie walked out to the small gazebo located on the lawn of the mansion. She needed some fresh air from the dancing and merriment. As she sat on the bench and closed her eyes, she felt the familiar feeling of warmth wash over her. She steeled herself and opened her eyes to see Damon. Bonnie looked into the eyes that had haunted her for two long, painful weeks. He looked as miserable as she felt.

Damon stared at the petite beauty before him. He could still see the hurt he had inflicted on her hiding behind her indifference. Even in the silence, the air about them crackled with need and desire.

Damon broke the silence, "Happy Birthday, little witch," he said as he pulled a present from behind his back and sat in next to her.

Bonnie's hands trembled as she picked up the gift. As she started to unwrap the paper she said, "You know this changes nothing between us."

Not hearing an answer, Bonnie looked up to find that Damon had gone. She went back to unwrapping the present, what she found made her breakdown in tears. In beautiful gilded silver frame was a black and white picture of an infant Bonnie being held by her mother, with the words Mother and Daughter written underneath. How Damon got the picture, Bonnie had no idea, she had never seen it in her house or Sheila's. She sat there staring at the picture for the longest time and then, almost as if someone else had possessed her body again, Bonnie got up and walked to her car.

**Sheila's house**

Sheila smiled thinking of the antics that were probably going on at the Lockwood mansion now. She trusted her granddaughter and her friends to do the right thing, but teens would be teens. Stefan had assured her that he would be there to the end, and would make sure everyone got home safely, even if he had to compel them, so she wasn't too worried. She was happy that Bonnie seemed to finally be smiling again after her fiasco with Damon, but still Sheila kept in mind Emily's warning about Damon breaking Bonnie's heart only to be the one to mend it again. As those thoughts raced through her head, Sheila had an intense feeling of foreboding, and all signs pointed towards her granddaughter.


	16. Chapter 16

I'm not going to even bother with excuses. But the good news is I have my muse back for this story and hopefully will be updating more regularly (hopefully every 2 weeks).

For those new to the story. This story is AU after season 1's Bloodlines episode. Therefore there is no Klaus, no Originals. Not sure if they will be in the story or not. Thanks again for all the favorites and reviews, you guys are my motivation to finish this story. Love you much. XOXO

Disclaimer: You know if I owned Vampire Diaries, Bonnie Bennett would have a harem.

**Chapter 16- It's No Sacrifice**

Sheila frantically hit the redial button on her phone. She had called Bonnie twice already only to get her voicemail. As she drove she gave up on Bonnie picking up and called Stefan instead. Stefan answered on the second ring.

"Everything is going well, Sheila, no need to worry," Stefan said, thinking the elder witch had called to check up on the teenagers.

"No it's not Stefan. Where's Bonnie, I can't get a read on her, she's blocking our emotional connections and I'm getting a bad feeling about her. I'm on my way there now," Sheila said as she sped over to the Lockwood house.

"I'll go look for her; I saw her go outside. I'll see you a few minutes," Stefan said as he headed out to the gazebo, already seeing that Bonnie was nowhere in sight. He looked around, seeing the discarded bright green wrapping paper on the floor of the gazebo. Stefan picked up the paper and the writing on the gift tag made him feel the same foreboding sensation that Sheila had felt. "Damon, what the hell have you done now?" Stefan questioned aloud, as he headed back to the house to await Sheila and prayed that his brother hadn't convinced Bonnie to do what only she could.

**Tomb of Old Fell's Church**

Damon heard the soft steps approaching from behind him. He had to admit that it shocked the hell out of him when he received her text to meet her at the tomb. It hadn't been his intention to guilt her with the picture of her mother, but apparently that's what happened.

He turned when he felt Bonnie directly behind him, clutching Emily's grimoire to her chest. The book was about half her size. He looked down at her and took in how beautiful she looked. He had watched the party from outside, watched her revel in the happiness of celebrating her birthday with her friends. It had taken every ounce of will power not to kill the teenage boys who she danced with, the ones who touched her and whispered in her ear, causing her to blush and stammer. His little witch still had no clue that she could bring the opposite sex to their knees with a smile. Then when she had gone outside for a break, he had seized the opportunity to give her his gift. He had left when she started opening it, knowing that tears would form in her eyes when she saw one of the few pictures of her and her mother. Then 10 minutes later came the text "meet me tomb in 1/2hr." So here they were witch and vampire, one hour before midnight. One hour that would irrevocably change both their lives forever.

"I'm going to get her out. On the condition that you take her, leave Mystic Falls and never come back. If either of you do, I will not hesitate to kill," Bonnie said.

"I can do that. Bonnie you have to know that I wasn't…..." Damon started.

"The spell in extremely complicated and I probably won't be able to keep the door open for more than about 15 minutes or so. Once I stop chanting the spell the door will shut and reseal the tomb. You need to get her and get out as quick as you possibly can, otherwise you'll be trapped in there as well," Bonnie continued, not acknowledging Damon's previous statement. When she finally looked in his eyes it was to say, "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Let's start then," Damon said as he picked her up and jumped down into the tunnel leading to the tomb. Damon, unaccustomed to apologizing, knew that he could not move forward until he said the words to Bonnie.

"I never meant to hurt you as bad as I did. I just wanted you to care enough about me to get Katherine out of the tomb. I'm sorry that it went as far as it did," Damon said, solemnly as he still held her close, knowing it would be the last time he had the pleasure.

"Put me down, we need to get started; there's not much time left." Bonnie said, ignoring Damon's words. Damon gently put her on the ground and watched as she sat on the ground and opened the grimoire. Even in the midst of the filthy, dreary tomb, she took his breath away.

Before she began the spell she gave him a bag that was filled with herbs. "Throw these on the other vampires, it will immobilize them temporarily and keep them from coming out of the tomb. I hate repeating myself, but it's important that you get Katherine and get out as soon as you can."

"Let's get started then, so we can get it over with," Damon said looking down at Bonnie, directly in her eyes.

**Lockwood Mansion**

Stefan and Caroline stood in the driveway as Sheila stopped her car and jumped out, not bothering to shut off the engine.

"I'm sorry Grams, she's gone. She's not answering her phone for either of us," Caroline said as she hugged the woman how had been a surrogate grandparent to her.

"I figured as much. I don't understand what could have happened; she's never blocked me before. All I'm getting from her is a feeling that something bad is about to happen," Sheila answered back.

"I think I may have an idea of what happened, or more precisely who happened. When I went to the gazebo, I found some torn gift paper with a tag saying it was from Damon. And Bonnie's not the only person blocking telepathic links," Stefan said.

"No. She wouldn't even consider-," Sheila said, shaking her head negatively.

"It's the only logical explanation. And judging from the fact that she's blocking you and me and not answering her phone, I think it's safe to say she went with him voluntarily," Stefan replied.

"What are you guys talking about? Bonnie wouldn't go anywhere with Damon," Caroline said. "Especially today, there is no way she would go with him to that tomb."

"What's going on out here?" Elena said as she approached the trio, taking in their worried faces.

"Bonnie's disappeared and Grams and Stefan think she's gone with Damon to open the tomb," Caroline answered, rolling her eyes at Elena.

"There's no think about it. Bonnie is with Damon. I think we all underestimated Bonnie's feelings for Damon. She loves him and wants him to be happy, regardless of how much it hurts her. It's pure, unconditional love she feels for Damon. She's going to open that tomb tonight, I would be my eternal life on it," Stefan replied.

"You're right, but she can't reverse that tomb spell alone, even as advanced as her powers are. I looked at the spell; it requires a huge amount of power and energy. Emily wrote that it took her days to fully recover from doing the spell. We need to get over there and stop her before she starts," Sheila said, as she, Stefan and Caroline, walked to her car.

"I'm going too," Elena said, running behind them.

"No, you're not," Caro argued.

"Look there's no time to argue about this. Both of you can go under the condition that you will do exactly as Stefan and I tell you, no disagreements. You will both stay above ground and not try to come down to the tomb; if you do I will bind you so that you can't move. We have enough trouble trying to stop Bonnie; we can't be worrying about the two of you getting in trouble. Do I make myself clear?

Both girls nodded as they slid into the car.

"I'll go ahead to see if I can stop them," Stefan said as he sped off.

Sheila drove off, unaware that she was being followed.

**Back At the Tomb**

Damon watched entranced as Bonnie began to chant the words to the spell. Slowly it she seemed to go into a deep trance as she stared, unblinking at the words of the grimoire. Suddenly the earth in the tomb began to rumble as Bonnie voice became louder and more powerful. The door to the tomb began to open slightly. As she continued the chant, the opening got larger and larger until it was large enough for Damon to enter. As he was about to cross the threshold, he was jumped from behind.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Stefan yelled as he pinned his brother to ground. "You just couldn't leave well enough alone, you had to emotionally blackmail her into getting that bitch for you."

Damon threw Stefan off of him, "This was her idea. I didn't blackmail her into anything. She's the one who texted me to meet her here. Look, the tomb is open. She doesn't know how long she can keep it open, the longer we sit here fighting, the more this spell is draining her strength. I need to get in there so I can get out.

"You are an asshole and if something happens to her because of this spell, I will never forgive you. Get in there and get that slut so you can get the hell out of Bonnie's life," Stefan sneered.

Damon took one more look at the young woman responsible for the open door he was about to walk through and said to his brother, "you can't possibly hate me anymore that I hate myself for this and if anything does happen to her, I'll take any punishment you dish out to me."

Just as he disappeared beyond the open door, Stefan heard a car pull up and knew it was Sheila and the girls. He jumped above ground so he could help Sheila down, as Caroline and Elena peered down from the opening. As he jumped back down with Sheila, they took in the scene of Bonnie in the midst of the spell. She was so entrenched in the spell; she did not notice that they were standing inches from her.

"She's too entranced, I can't reach her. The only thing we can do is wait for the spell to overpower her. The good thing is that the tomb will reseal itself once she gives out. I just hope it doesn't drain her too much," Sheila said. "I am assuming your idiot brother has gone in to save the love of his life."

"Yea, he claimed this was Bonnie's idea, that she sent him a text to meet up here," Stefan explained.

"I believe him; he's had plenty of time these last two weeks to get her here by other means. You're right when you say that we underestimated Bonnie's love for Damon. I should have listened to Emily," Sheila replied. She then went on to tell Stefan about Emily's visit to her and the vision she saw of Bonnie and Damon.

"Emily has been a busy little bee for a dead woman. She came to visit me to tell me it was time to pass her grimoire to Bonnie and to tell me that Bonnie and Damon are meant to be together."

"If that's the case, then why in the hell does Bonnie need to open the tomb to get Katherine out?" Sheila questioned.

"Something about somebody having to make a sacrifice of love; she also gave me some vague response that the reason Damon and I came back to town now was we and the descendants of all the key players back then, could rectify the mistakes Katherine made. I just have a feeling that opening the tomb is going to be the least of our worries when all is said and done," Stefan answered.

"I wish…" Sheila's response was cut off by the earth moving. Both turned to see Bonnie's body starting to slump as well as her voice start to weaken, but she was still in a trance, chanting the spell. They then turned to see that the door to the tomb was slightly closing.

"Damon needs to get out of there; I don't think she can hold on much longer. What the hell could be taking him so long?" Stefan said.

"I don't know, but if you don't want your brother to be locked away for the rest of his eternal life, I suggest you go drag him out," Sheila replied.

Stefan looked back and forth between the door and Bonnie. Bonnie's chanting was slowly but surely losing power and the door was inching closer to being sealed shut. Part of Stefan said that he should just let it close; let Damon stay in there forever with Katherine. It would make his eternal life a heck of a lot easier. But as he took another look at Bonnie, he realized that if he let his brother be shut away, all of her sacrifice would be in vain. Bonnie wanted Damon to have Katherine; she wanted his brother to have the love of his life, even if it wasn't her. And truth be told, he needed his brother in his life. Bonnie was right, Stefan loved his brother dearly and would give up his life to save him. Stefan then nodded toward Sheila and ran into the open tomb.

**Above The Tunnel**

"I can't believe Bonnie would do this," Elena said, pacing.

"Yea, well people have been doing a lot of crazy things lately," Caro answered, eyeing Elena.

"Look, I know I was wrong for what I did to Bonnie and Stefan. I was also wrong for running to Matt. But I love all of you and I need you in my lives. These last few weeks have been miserable for me," Elena said, near tears.

"Do you even listen to yourself? That whole supposed apology was all about you and how you're feeling. You are still the same…" Caroline's words trailed off as she heard the slight disturbing of the ground. She held her finger to her lips and pointed toward the opening of the tunnel, signaling Elena to be quiet and get down to Sheila and Stefan. Just as they were about to approach the opening, a blur came out of nowhere, blinding Caroline. When she able to see again, Caroline was alone.

**Back in the Tunnel**

After watching Stefan go in the tomb, Sheila was startled by someone jumping down into the tunnel. She looked up to see the young woman that had been with Jeremy at the Founder's Ball. She was holding Elena by the neck.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sheila demanded, backing to stand in front of Bonnie.

"I don't want trouble, I just want my mom out," the woman replied.

"You're a vampire," Sheila realized.

"Yeah, and my mom got trapped in there because of Katherine. I think it's only fair that she get out because of her too. I knew once I heard Damon was back in town, it was only a matter of time before he figured out a way to get in the tomb. Too bad he's about to be sorely disappointed," the young vampire said.

"What do you mean, Anna?" Elena managed to ask.

"You'll see soon enough, I just need to get my mom before you're granddaughter gives out. I'm sorry about this Elena, but you have to go in with me. You're my insurance policy that my mom and I get out," Anna said.

"If you're going in, you'd better hurry; she can't hold it open much longer," Sheila replied.

Anna nodded in response, backing into the tomb, still holding Elena hostage.

Sheila quickly ran to the opening and shouted for Caroline.

"I'm okay Grams, what happened," Caro answered.

"You may as well come down here and I'll tell you what happened," Sheila said, helping Caroline down. The two sat down in front of a still chanting Bonnie and discussed what happened.

**Inside the Tomb**

Stefan finally found Damon sitting on the ground, toward the back of the tomb. His brother was staring off, as if in shock.

"Damon, c'mon get Katherine and let's go, the door is starting to close.

"She's not here," Damon said, still not moving.

"What? That's not possible. We saw them put her in, she has to be here. You just overlooked her," Stefan said.

"She's not here. I've been over this tomb 3 times. Katherine is not in here. All this time and she's not in here," Damon muttered.

"Okay, Damon. I know you're hurting, but we gotta go, now," Stefan said gently.

"Why, what's the point? What's out there for me?" Damon asked, tears in his eyes as he looked at his brother.

"Me, brother. I'm here for you, always," Stefan said, offering his hand to his brother.

Damon stared at Stefan's outstretched hand for a few seconds, before grabbing it and allowing his brother to help him up.

"How did she get out? How in the hell did Katherine manage to escape the tomb, when no one could even get inside without Emily's grimoire," Damon asked, still in a stupor.

"She was never in here," Anna answered from the next chamber. She was carrying a body with her and had released Elena.

"Annabel?" Stefan questioned, staring at the young woman as Elena rushed over to him and Damon.

"Yes. Thanks Damon, I knew your obsession with Katherine would get this tomb open sooner or later. Now what the hell did you do to my mom," she asked.

"She's immobilized by some herbs. She should be fine once you get some blood in her. How long have you been in town?" Damon asked, slowly recovering.

"I got here about a month after you two did," Anna responded. Any other words Anna was going to say was cut off by a loud rumble and the unmistakable sound of the tomb door closing more.

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about Katherine, but I couldn't leave my mother in here forever," Anna said before speeding out with her mother, leaving the brothers and Elena alone in the tomb.

"THAT BITCH!" Damon roared, punching a wall.

"Damon we have to get out of here," Elena said.

Damon nodded and took one final look around the tomb, before his final sliver of hope disappeared.

Even with their vampire speed, they got to the door when it was about 2 feet from closing. Stefan pushed Elena through first and held Damon's hand as they slipped through the opening seconds before the door slammed shut. Bonnie blinked, dropping the grimoire.

Caroline rushed over and through her arms around Elena, in spite of everything, Elena was still one of her best friends, and Caro would have been devastated had anything happened to her.

"So where's Katherine?" Sheila asked, seeing that the group was missing the reason for all the drama.

"She wasn't in there," Stefan said.

"So you put my granddaughter through all this shit for nothing," Sheila yelled at Damon.

Any other discussion was interrupted by a moan from Bonnie, who was coming out of her trance. She went to stand up, but as she was rising her body was struck by spasms, making her fall to the ground. She began breathing hard and blood began dripping from her nose and ears.

"What's wrong with her," a frightened Caroline said.

"It's the effects of the spell," Sheila answered. "It took so much of her energy; her body is reacting to the drain"

Bonnie was finally still, Sheila took her pulse and looked up, "She's barely alive," she said in tears.

Stefan looked into Sheila's eyes, silently asking permission for what he was about to do. Sheila nodded yes. Stefan bit into his wrist and was about to place it to Bonnie's mouth, when he heard a deep growl and was pushed into a wall opposite of where Bonnie was lying.

When he looked up, Damon was cradling Bonnie's head in his lap, with his wrist clamped to her mouth. Damon was in full vamp mode and sneered to his brother and everyone else in the tunnel, "Mine."


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I do own the hope that Bonnie gets a real storyline and love interest in season 4**

**Chapter 17**

**Don't Look Back At This Crumbling Fool**

Bonnie awoke feeling as if someone had played soccer with her entire body. She moaned in protest as she tried to lift her head.

"Don't move," Damon said as placed his hand over her chest.

"What happened to me?" she said pushing his hand away.

"You did something incredibly stupid," Sheila said as she walked over to the bed. "You could have died Bonnie. What the hell were you thinking? I know damn well you read what Emily wrote about how that spell zaps all your power and energy."

Everything comes rushing back to Bonnie. Her birthday party; Damon's gift; and her deciding to open the tomb. The last thing she remembered was her heart shattering into pieces as she watched Damon go into the tomb to rescue the true love of his life. She must have blacked out after the tomb had closed because everything after that was a total blank.

"Grams I thought that I could do it. I mean you've been going on and on about how I'm the most powerful witch since Emily. I thought I'd test drive the title. Besides I thought it would get rid of a lot of problems around here," Bonnie replied looking pointedly in Damon's direction.

The vampire in question had been quietly watching the young witch. Inside he was explosively angry with himself. Everyone had told him the everlasting love Katherine claimed to have for him was an illusion, but would he listen? No, he wouldn't listen, not to Stefan, not to Elena, and not to Bonnie, not even to the voice inside of himself telling him he wasn't in love with Katherine. If Damon was truly honest with himself, he hadn't been in love with Katherine for decades. He had been in love with the fact that someone had chosen him instead of Stefan. But in the end, even that wasn't true. At least Katherine hadn't chosen Stefan, in the end Ms. Pierce had chosen herself over both Damon and Stefan. Now Damon was sitting here calling himself every name he could think of. Not because Katherine had made a fool of him, but because of his stubbornness in admitting that the person he truly loved was Bonnie Bennett. His stupidity had almost cost Bonnie her life. When he saw her going through those convulsions then go lifeless, Damon nearly lost his mind. He did lose his mind when he saw Stefan about to give her his blood again. No other vampire's blood would save his witch but his. She was his and his alone, now that he had finally come to his senses; he would protect what was his by any means necessary.

Realizing that room had gone silent, Damon shook himself from his internal musing to realize that both witches were staring at him.

"I thought we had a deal about what would happen when the tomb closed," Bonnie said, weakly, but still managed to have distain dripping from her words.

"Well our deal was that I would take Katherine and leave town, but since Katherine wasn't in the tomb that makes our little agreement null and void," Damon said.

Bonnie was stunned speechless. After all of his waiting and ruthless planning, Katherine was in no need of rescuing. As angry and hurt as she was, Bonnie couldn't help but feel for Damon. After all, she was in a similar situation. Knowing that the person she loved didn't love her in return. Shaking her head in frustration with herself and her haywire feelings, Bonnie let out a sigh.

"I thought you and Stefan saw her being put in the tomb. She couldn't have escaped that tomb spell if she was inside….."Bonnie trailed off realizing that Katherine had never been in the tomb.

"Apparently she got bribed one of the guards into getting her out before the fire started. She probably promised to turn him and other "favors" for helping her. I wouldn't put her past her to have killed the dumb bastard after he helped her. But who knows," Damon replied tiredly.

"Do I even want to know the rest of what happened?" Bonnie asked, exasperation all in her voice.

"Well-," Damon began.

"You can find out later," Shelia said. "You need you're rest. You've been out for 24 hours."

"Grams, I'm fine," Bonnie said. "I want to put all this mess behind me. I order to do that I want the whole story of what happened with Katherine. I need to know so I can have some resolution."

"Sheila can I talk to Bonnie alone, please?" Damon asked.

"Are you insane!?" Sheila screamed. "The last time you were alone with her she ended up convulsing on the ground from a power drain. There is no way in hell I'm leaving you alone with her. The only reason I let you be in the room with her is because this is your damned house. But now that she's awake, I'm taking her home with me and there is no way you're getting an invite into my house."

Bonnie finally took in her surroundings and realized she was in a bedroom at the Boarding House.

"Why am I at the Boarding House?" she asked them.

"It the closest house to the tomb," Sheila answered.

"Grams look, I know you want to protect me," Bonnie stated. "But Damon and I need to talk. He didn't make me do anything. In fact opening the tomb was my idea, I thought it was the only way to get him to stop causing trouble around here. Seeing as though that's not going to happen, we need to set some ground rules for what's going to happen between us. Plus like I said, I want answers about Katherine."

"Fine, I need to go tell Stefan, even though I'm sure he's heard by now. I should also call Elena and Caroline, so they'll stop calling me every half-hour," Sheila reluctantly agreed. She left the room, giving Damon a warning stare as she walked out the door.

"Bonnie, I'm so sorry," Damon began.

"Damon, please. Just tell me about Katherine. How in the hell did she escape?" Bonnie said.

"She would have had to have been in there to escape. According to Anna…."Damon started.

"Wait a minute. Anna? The girl Jeremy's dating?" Bonnie interrupted.

"No, that would be the vampire Jeremy's dating. Seems as though vampire attraction runs in the Gilbert family. Anyway, Anna is the daughter of one the vampires that came to Mystic Falls with Katherine. Her name is Pearl, and she really was in the tomb. The night they closed the tomb and set fire to the church, Anna saw Katherine bribe the guard to let her out. Of course when Anna confronted the bitch refused to help get Pearl out. The last Anna heard, Katherine was in Chicago." Damon explained. "Anna heard I came back to town and figured I had a plan to open the tomb. Apparently she cozied up to Jeremy to get information about the Gilbert family diaries, hoping she could find a way to get it opened herself. At least that's the one good thing that came out of last night, Anna got Pearl out. They won't cause any trouble around town. They pretty much kept to themselves before, the only reason Pearl got caught was because she was mixed up with Katherine."

Bonnie drew her knees to her chest. "So are you going after her?"

"Fuck no! That bitch is as good a staked to me. I've wasted enough years chasing after someone that didn't want me. If Katherine had wanted me, she had over a century to come and get me," Damon replied.

"So now what?"

"We move on with our lives." Damon said, taking her hand again. "And you and I figure out what's going on between us."

"Did you lose your mind last night?" Bonnie asked, jerking her hand away. "You find out Katherine lied, so now you want me. Everyone warned you, Damon. We all told you that what you felt for Katherine was a lie; that she was a deceitful bitch. I didn't want it to be that way. All while I was driving to church I was thinking maybe I was wrong about Katherine, maybe she did love and could make you happy. But then I wake up and find out the slut wasn't even in the tomb. You've destroyed your relationship with your brother; you used Caroline, and YOU BROKE MY HEART! All for a woman who couldn't even find 5 seconds in 150 years to let you know she was free. We don't need to figure out what's between us. How can you even think I could trust with my heart again after what you did? Even if I could get over you using me, you were so in love with Katherine less than 24 hours ago."

"I never felt for Katherine what I feel for you," Damon said, hating himself for hurting her. "Everybody was right, it wasn't love I felt for her. It was acceptance and understanding. All the things I get from you, but without the lies she covered hers with. I know I fucked up, Bonnie. But I know that what I feel for you is real. I was about to take my brother's head off for daring to attempt to give you blood."

"I'm not a new toy, Damon. You can't take me out of the box because you find out I'm better than your old toy. I know my self-esteem isn't great, but it's not bad enough to accept what you're trying to give me," Bonnie said. "So this is how it's going to be. We will be cordial to one another when we have to be at the same functions. Other than that, whatever relationship we had is over."

"Bonnie don't do this, I can't lose you."

"You never had me, Damon. No I take that back, you never wanted me. It was fun to play around me, but when push came to shove, you chose Katherine. If you really wanted me, really were falling for me, you would have never let me open that tomb last night."

"Little witch," Damon said.

"Damon you can't jump from Katherine to me. You need to figure yourself out before you can love someone Damon. The reason Katherine was able to blind you for so long is because you thought her love for you would make you love yourself. You have to love yourself first. I know that underneath the snark and devil may care façade, you are a good person, but you need to learn that about yourself. And I have my own self-worth issues I need work on before I can even think about a relationship with somebody. Maybe after all this we can at least be friendly with each other. But not now, it's too raw," Bonnie said, sinking down in the cover. Before Damon could respond, Bonnie spoke again.

"I'm really tired, Damon. I need a nap before I go home with Grams. Please leave."

Damon wanted to say something, but what could he say? Instead he left the room and started downstairs, hearing Sheila and Stefan in the kitchen, likely discussing the conversation Stefan had heard between him and Bonnie. On his way down he passed Caroline, who had been on her way over when she got the call from Sheila, on her way up.

"How is she?" the blonde asked.

"She needs you," he answered, knowing damn well Bonnie wasn't about to take a nap. She just wanted him out of the room before the tears overflowed.

Sure enough, when Caroline entered the room, Bonnie's shoulders were shaking as she was silently crying, hoping to prevent the vampires from hearing her. As Caroline climbed in bed with her and wrapped her in a tight embrace, the sobs started.

Damon had made it to the living room by the time he heard the sobbing begin. He poured himself a drink, every sob and hiccup was like a piece of wood piercing his body. Slowly and painfully torturing his flesh, until finally he couldn't take it anymore and sent the tumbler flying across the room, glass shattering like he had shattered the sobbing witch upstairs. The noise brought Stefan running into the room, staring at his brother who had slid down the bar, to crouch on the floor. The pain and regret of his decisions etched into his face.

Stefan carefully walked over to Damon and sat beside him. "Damon," he said.

"Don't Stefan, don't try to comfort me. I deserve everything that happened. You warned me, everybody warned me. And what did I do, I threw away everything I ever wanted, for someone who purposely destroyed every life she came in contact with," Damon said, self-loathing evident in his voice.

"I know you won't believe this, but I am sorry that you didn't get your happy ending Damon," Stefan said, draping is arm around Damon's shoulders.

"I may not have gotten the ending I wanted this time, but I will get it," Damon replied.

"Please tell me you're not going after Katherine because Bonnie rejected you," Stefan begged.

"Fuck Katherine. No, I want my little witch. And I'm going to do everything in my power to get her with me where she belongs," Damon said, his familiar smirk starting to show.

Every word from Bonnie said had been the gospel, except for one thing. There was no way what was between them was over. It was just like turning the heat down on a boiling pot, sure it stopped boiling, but it was still simmering and sooner or later it was going to boil over. Despite all the hurt she displayed, he could still see the love in her eyes. And he also knew that had she not truly love him, she wouldn't be so devastated right now. So he would give her time. He would repair himself and his relationship with his brother. But when that was done, Bonnie Bennett wasn't going to know what hit her.

Stefan, seeing the look on his brother's face, sent a silent prayer up for Bonnie.

**Outskirts of Town**

Staring at the sign, the woman rolled her eyes in distaste. Some things never change, she thought, but they should. Oh, well she was here now. She had work to do. The tomb had been opened and hopefully what she needed had made it out with Pearl. Katherine couldn't believe it when she had made it out and discovered that Pearl had picked her pocket. And that bitch Emily had refused to open the tomb back up for her, claiming she needed a comet. Katherine knew better, Emily always had a backup plan. And apparently that back-up plan had just made eighteen, and took advantage of her witch's gift, by opening to tomb. She had hoped she would be back in town sooner, but plans had prevented that from happening. Luckily her spy's she had trailing Anna had been money well spent. She knew Pearl's little girl would get her mom out some kind of way. Imagine her surprise when that way turned out to be Damon Salvatore. Katherine thought he had given up getting her out of the tomb decades ago. Say one thing Damon may have been duped into believing she loved him, but he was loyal. This was going to be hell of a reunion.


End file.
